Third One's The Charm
by Occasional
Summary: Shimakaru is more than the indifferent genius he seems to be. Deep inside, he's someone who has much to deal with and making the right decisions is painful. What happened to the average life he's always wanted? COMPLETE [ShikaIno]
1. Disappointment

Author's note: Firstly, I want to thank those who gave me encouraging reviews for my first fan fiction. I really, really appreciate it. This is, therefore, my second and it's going to be (I hope) 5 chapters long. If this story isn't good, please tell me and I'll write something else. Again, any criticism is welcomed. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Naruto and Shikamaru is mine only in my dreams.

The weather today was perfect. It wasn't too sunny till it hurt one's eyes, neither was it too dark to cast one in a gloomy mood. The birds were dancing in the sky, enjoying their exclusive gift of flight, performing aerial acrobatics as they sang sweet melodies of summer. They added color to the limitless expanse of the blue sky, dotting the heavens with their plumage of red, white, yellow and green. In short, it was just the perfect time to watch the clouds as they drifted aimlessly in the pale, azure sky. And there was a tall young man lying on the cool, green grass, doing just that. Watching the clouds.

Taking advantage of the warm weather, Shikamaru had come to the field just behind his parents' deer farm to enjoy the clouds and their endless journeys across the atmosphere. Normally, he wouldn't have any free time to indulge in such a pointless pastime, but today was different. Yes, today was different from the rest, for he had absolutely nothing to do. There were no chores at home waiting to be done, no missions he had to prepare for, no training sessions with his teammates or his father and no meetings with the Hokage on strategic matters. For in the past year, his days had been filled with endless tasks and missions that he had to carry out for Konohagakure. Shikamaru had been appointed into the newly created Strategic Task Force, which was under the direct control of the Hokage – Tsunade. She had decided that in order to deal with the combined threats of the Akatsuki and Orochimaru, sheer military power would not be enough. After all, brains are better than brawn. Therefore, she came up with the idea of putting together a team of highly intelligent individuals who would be put in charge of creating suitable strategies to conduct missions and to handle political problems. The Hokage was convinced that this would increase the success rates of missions and help to minimize any injury or death to Konoha shinobis. The moment Shikamaru had been promoted to the rank of jounin at the age of 18, he was appointed to this task force. Its members included Neji – the silver-eyed Hyuuga prodigy, Sakura – one of the best medics in the village, Shino – the quiet yet highly observant bug expert as well as a few other of Konoha's brightest and most intelligent ninjas.

Even though the task force had only been in existence for a year prior to Shikamaru's joining, it and its members had already garnered quite a reputation. The task force had come to be known for it effectiveness in getting missions done regardless of the difficulties or dangers that it may pose. Such was their success rate in accomplishing whatever task was given to them, that their fame spread to other villages who could only wistfully wish that they had something close to such an excellent team. Other countries who had requested missions, often specifically asked for the task force, though they had hidden villages of their own. After Shikamaru's addition, the reputation of the force came to be held in higher esteem and the young man himself was revered as a master strategist by everyone in the village. Tsunade was understandably pleased with their performance and assigned the team tough missions almost every other day, both dealing within and without the Fire country. Thus, Shikamaru became busier with each passing day. He could count the number of days he had spent at home this past year on one hand and he relished the idea of having just one day of peace to himself.

A day such as today.

He was determined that nothing would spoil today for him, that nothing would get in his way of cloud watching. Nothing. Until he heard her voice.

"Shikamaru!"

'Sigh… Mendokusai…" Shikamaru lamented his luck silently.

He propped himself up on one elbow just in time to see the owner of the shrill voice running towards him, her white-blonde hair billowing in the wind. She had a big smile on her soft, pink lips and her cerulean eyes sparkled with joy. The girl was obviously delighted to see him. He smiled back lazily but the smile quickly disappeared as she drew closer and closer to him without any intention of slowing down. And said female landed right on top of him, knocking the wind out of his lungs as she wrapped her creamy slender arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"Shikamaru! You're back!"

"Ino." He gasped, unable to breathe properly.

Still on top of Shikamaru, Ino released him from her iron grip and looked him over from head to toe several times. She ran her hands across his lean arms and chest, fingers tracing the muscular contours of his face and neck. Slowly inspecting his body as her brows furrowed with worried anticipation.

"Are you injured? Hurt? In pain?" She asked hurriedly as her hands continued with their frenzied inspection, which were quite frankly making Shikamaru very uncomfortable. Shikamaru wasn't used to Ino making physical contact with him even if it was to smack him across the head or to pinch him on the arm, much less her touching him all over his body. He enjoyed it immensely but knew someone who would cause him the most excruciating pain imaginable if he ever caught sight of this.

"I'm fine. The mission went perfectly." He replied while grabbing hold of her hands, staying their progress along his well-muscled body. "We weren't hurt in any way."

"Really?" She asked with a slight hint of disbelief in her voice and eyed him suspiciously. Ino had seen him come home from missions injured too many times to believe that this one had gone off without him getting a single scratch.

"Yes." Shikamaru assured her. "Did you find any injuries while you were groping me?" He teased, a playful smirk forming on his sharp features.

She blushed furiously and wrested one hand from his grip to thwack him hard across the forearm. Shikamaru yelped and released her other hand immediately. Ino placed both hands on her curvy hips and glared at him, her cheeks still hotly crimson.

"I wasn't groping you." She spat venomously and sat down on the grass beside him with a pout on her perfect lips. She turned her face away sharply from his and mumbled something along the lines of "Who would want to grope you anyways?"

'I wish you would.' Shikamaru barely managed to push the thought out of his head before it could make its way out of his mouth.

Shikamaru had to smile at her antics. When they were younger, Ino's pouts always meant trouble and Shikamaru had come to dread it whenever she did. Now, he found it cute. He found _her_ cute. Though he would never admit it to anyone, especially her since…

"Well, all the same, you shouldn't do that. Neji wouldn't like it." He commented half jokingly, half regretfully.

"Hm?" She turned back to look at him, puzzled at his words. Then realization dawned on her and her face immediately fell, sadness seemed to consume her entire being.

"Oh, you weren't around." Ino turned her head to look at the sky, her long flowing hair cascading down her lithe back. Shikamaru just wanted to run his fingers in those silky locks and to breathe in the lavender shampoo he knew she used religiously. But he knew that she was avoiding his gaze. And she knew that if she made eye contact, he would see the pain and sadness reflected in her soulful orbs right away, and she didn't want him to see it.

Shikamaru knew instantly that something was wrong, not because he was a genius but simply because he knew Ino long enough to know when she was unhappy. But before he could put two and two together, and to figure out what was really wrong, Ino had declared:

"We broke up." She said with a bitter smile on her face, her face still turned away from his. Shikamaru's heart somersaulted. 'She broke up with Neji?'. He didn't believe his ears. Was he that absorbed and immersed in his work, that he did not know that the woman he had secretly loved for years was at long last available?

During her preteen years, Ino had an undying obsession for the sole Uchiha survivor – Sasuke. But after he had defected from the village, she slowly grew out of that childish infatuation. Shikamaru thought that he might have a chance to finally express his long hidden feelings, but his promotion to Chuunin ensured that he never got the opportunity. Soon, she had redirected her attentions to another man – Hyuuga Neji. At first, he was cold and aloof to her feelings just as Sasuke had been, and just as before, she was unrelenting and continued her chase. But unlike her unrequited love for Sasuke, Neji slowly began to reciprocate her feelings towards him- much to everyone's shock and surprise. And by her 17th year, they were officially romantically involved. Shikamaru was crestfallen to say the least when he had discovered this, but he kept those feelings hidden under a mask of detachment and indifference. He kept a cool and calm exterior, but in truth he was crying inside. Again, he had lost her to another man. With Sasuke's absence, he thought that he might stand a chance, that Ino would come to see that there was someone who loved her, someone who had always been by her side. But she didn't. Though he was a little elated over the fact that she was no longer with Neji, he still felt her sadness and he didn't like her being this way. He was concerned on how hard this would affect her, for though Ino seemed tough on the outside, in truth she was anything but that on the inside. Shikamaru knew that she hurt easily but would never tell anyone how she really felt.

"It wasn't going to work." She knew what he was going to ask, she knew the question already forming in that intelligent mind of his and answered him before he had a chance to speak. She also knew what he would ask next, and decided it was too painful for her to have to listen to questions she had been asked over and over, so she went on with the explanation.

"He's always busy, he's never around. We never had time for each other. So, we slowly grew apart and later decided that it was best to remain as friends."

That was when Shikamaru felt a great wave of dismay rising from inside the hollow of his chest. If Neji didn't have enough time for her, what made Shikamaru think he did? Both men were in the task force, and that had consumed most of their waking hours. If anything, Shikamaru was busier than Neji as Tsunade had sometimes granted the latter leave in order to attend to matters of his clan. On the other hand, it has been such a long time since the former had a break till he wondered if he could remember what a holiday was. Shikamaru just didn't have any time to devote to a relationship, and he knew that as much as he wanted Ino, it wouldn't be fair to her if he wasn't around all the time. Their relationship would never work that way, just like her relationship with Neji didn't. 'Just friends, eh?' The brief feeling of elation that was in his heart was replaced by a painful sensation of disappointment. 'Just when I thought I had another chance, fate steals it away from me again.' He reflected bitterly. He kept silent after she had spoken, thinking it would be better if he just didn't say anything and partly because he didn't know what to say. And she appreciated the silence, she didn't want to speak anymore and risk having tears in her eyes when the pain of those memories flooded her mind.

They were sitting in quietness, just enjoying each other's company and letting the calming peace of Mother Nature still their individual troubled thoughts. One struggling to come to terms with a relationship he so desperately wants but will never have, while the other trying to understand the failed relationship that shattered her idealistic view of love. Both yearning for something that they could have found in each other, but not knowing that they could. And they watched the birds continue their carefree, untroubled flight in the vast breadth of space that is their home.

Suddenly, a figure approached them from behind. He was wearing a large, black jacket that reached to his knees and the hood was resting on his head, setting much of his face in the shadows. He looked at the two from behind tinted lenses and stuffed his hands into his pockets almost too wearily as he cleared his throat.

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru turned to face him reluctantly.

"Shino." For some reason, he wasn't surprised to see his teammate here and immediately knew why he had come. "What does she want now?"

"There is a slight problem." He replied monotonously. But Shikamaru noticed the slight tinge of nervousness in the other man's voice though it was brief and fleeting. Small details such as these never escaped his attention, for these miniscule bits of information often determined the knife-edge difference between success and failure. If the problem was enough to unnerve the usually composed insect user even slightly, Shikamaru knew it meant trouble. Serious trouble. He got up abruptly and brushed his pants off. He didn't want to leave Ino all alone but he knew that being a shinobi meant putting his duties and responsibilities first. Still, he had to make a herculean effort to tear himself mentally and physically away from her.

"Let's go." He motioned to Shino. The other man nodded wordlessly.

"Wait!"

Shikamaru was just about to leave when Ino had spoken, he spun around to face her. She had stood up from where she was sitting, a concerned look was etched on her angelic face.

"Take care of yourself, Shikamaru." She said worriedly. Her eyes full of dread and fear, for she knew of the nature of the missions that he had to undertake. "I'm not going to your funeral if you die, you know I don't like funerals." She chuckled, trying to hide the anguish in her voice behind a façade of dark humor.

He snorted in laughter. A lopsided grin spread across his face.

"I'll try not to disappoint you." He gave her a small wave of his hand and turned to leave, with Shino walking beside him.

She followed him with her eyes and watched as he made his way down the path in the field that led to town. And at that moment, if he had turned back to look, he would have saw the tears that had spilled from her sapphire blue eyes, leaving wet trails down her cheeks. Tears she shed only for him.

Please review! Thanks.


	2. Torn

Author's note: I'm sorry I didn't specify earlier that this was a multi chapter effort. But I thank those who gave me positive reviews and good advice. Hope this one's good. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own nuts.

* * *

"You want us to what !" Shikamaru asked incredulously.

The young man had abruptly stood up, slamming his fists on the heavy wooden table. His chair was knocked over by his sudden movement and fell to the floor with a heavy crash. Everyone in the room jumped at the loud noise, including the Godaime Hokage herself. Neji bent to right his teammate's fallen chair, trying not to seem nervous at this tense situation that was beginning to unfold.

Shikamaru was breathing fast, his face flushed red with anger and outrage. He couldn't believe what he had just heard and his teammates had the same look of shock on their faces. Partly because of the unexpected outburst from the usually composed shinobi, and partly because they couldn't accept as true what Tsunade had just asked them to do. And now, he was staring down at her intently, fury burning in his ebony eyes. He couldn't care less about being disrespectful and he couldn't care less about what she would do to him in return either.

"I want you to spy on the Tsuchikage." She repeated, lifting her chin and proceeded to get up on her feet as well, her fists were clenched on the table like his. As though she was daring Shikamaru to try her patience and to undermine her authority again. The two continued their staring match for what seemed like an eternity to the others in the room, each not wanting to be the first to back down. In the end, Shikamaru let out a long sigh and fell back on his chair heavily as he muttered an apology to the stunning blonde. He knew that a conflict now would only serve to worsen things and that sometimes its best to swallow your pride, to just give in. Furthermore, Tsunade was the Hokage, their esteemed leader and as much as he disagreed with her decisions, he had to respect her no matter what.

And there never was a time that he disagreed with her as much he did now.

The Earth country was one of the Five Great Shinobi countries and thus had a powerful ninja village, the Hidden Rock. The Rock ninjas were allies with the Leaf and both countries had enjoyed warm relations with one another since the end of the great wars. The Third had worked hard to build this friendly alliance and once Tsunade took over office, she strove to maintain peace between the two countries. However, things had gotten uneasy in recent days, as the village had been experiencing unrest due to severe disagreement between the Tsuchikage and the elder council. They had disagreed on important matters regarding the administration of the village and those divergences in opinion led to the formation of factions in the village. Conflict continued to grow out of hand and ultimately resulted in the removal of the Yondaime Tsuchikage from power in a coup masterminded by an Earth Country advisor named Takeshi. He then named himself as the Godaime Tsuchikage.

And as a result of this sudden shift in power, the alliance between the Leaf and Rock was greatly affected. Takeshi had a reputation of being a warmonger and the tendency of not being hesitant to use violence to get what he wants. There were also rumors that he tortured his prisoners. Understandably, Tsunade was concerned of how this would affect the Fire country and was afraid that war might break out if the fragile alliance fell apart, for Takeshi had an old score to settle with the Hidden Leaf Village. But there was not much other information on the situation that she needed to make a decision on whether to interfere with the affairs of another country or to weather the storm from afar. Though a war might still break out either way, the least she could do was to ensure that they were prepared when it did. She didn't want to risk another incident such as Orochimaru's surprise attack and the death of her shinobis or the innocent villagers. Thus, a reconnaissance mission in the country had to be conducted. It was a highly dangerous mission and there was no one more qualified to handle it than the Strategy Task Force. Getting caught in a foreign country without proper documentation is bad enough, but when its leader is looking for a reason to start a war with your country, things couldn't be worse.

"When do we leave?" Sakura asked, wanting to ease the tension that was hanging so thickly in the room. She was nervously drumming her painted fingers on the table.

Tsunade's attention turned from Shikamaru to her young apprentice. She sat down wearily and rubbed her temples with her delicate knuckles. She hadn't gotten any sleep since the coup in the Hidden Rock occurred, and the lack of rest was taking a toll on her.

"Tomorrow morning. We need information as soon as possible if war is to be avoided." She answered, still massaging her throbbing head.

"What sort of information exactly?" Neji asked.

"The size of Takeshi's military. Specifically, how many ninjas he has under him and how they are organized. Also, try to find out where they are keeping the Yondaime Tsuchikage imprisoned and where his remaining supporters are." Tsunade paused to look at Shikamaru and the young man nodded, acknowledging that he understood the requirements for this mission. The busty woman continued. "Once you have the information, send it back with a bird in code. Then return safely."

"What are we going to do after that? Help to reinstate the Yondaime Tsuchikage?" The silver-eyed man queried again.

"We will decide our next course of action when you return." The Hokage replied.

'IF we return from this suicide mission you're sending us on.' Thought Shikamaru and he shifted anxiously in his seat. Tsunade turned to look at him, and the shadow-user froze at her gaze, wondering if she could somehow read his mind. But it wasn't what he had thought.

"Shikamaru, you're the team leader." The deceptively beautiful woman said and she tossed him a scroll. "This is a detailed map of the Hidden Rock village, you'll need it for your mission."

Shikamaru caught it deftly and fingered the seal on the scroll nervously. 'Can I come up with a strategy that will ensure this mission's success and our survival?' He shook his head dejectedly.

Shino spoke up for the first time that day.

"We're done then?"

"Yes." Tsunade replied, mildly taken aback that the usually silent shinobi had spoken. She couldn't remember the last time she had heard him talk and wasn't surprised when she found she couldn't recognize that deep baritone voice. Then again, it had been a long time since she has had a leisurely chat with her subordinates, these people whom she had known since they were children.

Tsunade recalled the times she used to visit the academy where Shikamaru had been appointed to inquire about the new students. He would lazily reply that everything was fine and when she questioned him further, he would mumble "mendokusai" under his breath, thinking that she couldn't hear him. She knew that he didn't quite fancy the idea of a woman being in charge, although he didn't seem chauvinistic, and that he couldn't be bothered to assert himself in anything he does. She had to chuckle remembering the times his sensei, Asuma, had to resort to ungainly measures to get him to train and practice his techniques. But, in the rare moments when he did undertake something, he would put all his effort and cunning into accomplishing it. Tsunade knew that the moment she had assigned him to bring Sasuke back. And that was one of the reasons why she had selected him to be in the task force – as well as his extraordinary intelligence and his undying sense of responsibility. The minute his promotion to jounin was announced, Tsunade jumped to get him appointed.

Hyuuga Neji, on the other hand, almost didn't make it into the team. When Tsunade had first arrived, the young man had seemed haughty and aloof. His sensei, Gai, had informed her about his complicated family and that though he respected his teammates, Neji still couldn't function well in a team. The woman's first impression of the ninja was that he was a lone wolf. And she knew that attitudes like that could affect the success of a mission. Neji worked alone, and thus she was surprised that Shikamaru had chosen him to retrieve Sasuke. The dark haired boy had returned severely injured but his personality had also changed. He became warmer and made efforts to be a part of his team more than before, working well with Lee, Tenten and the ANBU team he had been assigned to prior to joining the task force. The one that many called genius quickly rose through the ranks and it was evident that he was extremely talented, bestowed with qualities that eventually earned him a place on the task force.

When Shikamaru was appointed, his first undertaking was to ask for a medic as a teammate. Tsunade understood the nature of this request and immediately chosen to the team Konoha's brightest medic in this generation – Haruno Sakura. The young woman had advanced greatly in her skills since her genin days and picked up many techniques from her teacher – including her unnatural strength. Sakura could bring down a 20-foot tall brick wall with her bare hands, an ability that had belonged only to Tsunade and now her. Her acumen, second to none except Shikamaru, also contributed immensely to her appointment to the team. Tsunade felt a sense of pride whenever she laid eyes on Sakura- the child she trained and watched over had now grew into a wonderful, capable young woman.

Aburame Shino was the last addition to the team and was there by virtue that no one else met the criteria to complete the first team of four. He was quiet, to say the least, and never spoke unless it was absolutely necessary. However, he was exceptionally observant and had extensive knowledge in the field of survival training. While his selection to the team was unintentional, Tsunade was pleased that his skills complimented the others' quite nicely – Shikamaru was the strategist, Neji was an expert on pursuit, Sakura was the medic and he would ensure their survival. And like the others on the team, he was an intelligent man and always had an air of unshakeable confidence around him. That confidence didn't seem cocky nor did it seem like misplaced trust in his abilities, but it was more like the young man knew his strengths, enough to utilize them to the fullest and his weaknesses, enough to not let them trouble him.

Tsunade had to smile, thinking about these four very young but very talented individuals that she had come to care for and love. She was proud of ALL her small leaves, proud of what they had become and what they had grown up to be. She had tended to their wounds, listened to their dreams and fears, and her heart went out to all of them – but more so these four whom she had gotten close to in the past year. She had laughed with them (it was quite a feat, considering she never knew that Neji and Shino had the capacity to laugh, or that Shikamaru could bring himself to do such a 'troublesome' thing), and though she was their leader, Tsunade had come to see them as the offspring she never had. And now, she was sending her children to their deaths. 'Sarutobi sensei, what would you do if you were here? What would you do? What should I do?'

"Then we'll go prepare ourselves, Tsunade Shishou." Sakura's words brought Tsunade out of her thoughts and she looked up to see the sole kunoichi in the team get up from her chair and bow respectfully to her. She turned to join Shikamaru, Neji and Shino who had also risen from their chairs and were already at the door of the room. They were about to leave when Tsunade spoke again.

"Be careful." She said softly.

The team nodded in agreement and left the room. Shikamaru noticed that Tsunade had avoided looking them in the eyes when she said those words. But he could have sworn that he saw a flash of tears in her clear, brown orbs.

Ino was sitting on her bed, her knees brought up to her chest. The clock in her room showed the time at 3 in the morning, which was way past her self-imposed bedtime, but sleep was far from her mind.

"_Shikamaru's going on a mission tomorrow morning."_

"_He didn't say what it was about and told me not to worry, but I don't think I can do that. He's my best friend after all."_

"_Though, I think it's a very dangerous mission, and I think it has something to do with the recent trouble in the Earth Country."_

"_I hope he's going to be okay, Ino."_

Chouji had come over in the evening for dinner. She had invited him and Shikamaru as well but the shadow master had turned down her invitation regretfully, saying that he had something to take care of. But when she asked what it was, he wouldn't answer. So, she had dinner with Chouji alone and they began talking about everything and anything. Then somewhere in their conversation they had come to talk about Shikamaru and the pleasant and unpleasant memories they had together as Team 10. Then the conversation shifted to Shikamaru's imminent mission, and that's when Ino felt a sense of impending doom descending on her heart.

After he had thanked her for the food and left for home, Chouji's words still haunted Ino's mind.

"… _Dangerous mission_…"

"… _Dangerous mission_…"

"… _Dangerous mission_…"

Those words kept playing in her mind and no matter what she did, Ino just couldn't get them out of her head.

'Dangerous mission?' She reflected bitterly. 'Since when hasn't Shika gone on a dangerous mission?'

She looked out her window and stared at the stars in the night sky, silently wondering when she had taken to calling him Shika.

'Why am I feeling this way? Its not like he hasn't gone on dangerous missions before.' Ino asked herself, her lovely face still turned towards the window. The moonlight illuminated her pale skin, giving her an angelic but sad look. Like a beautiful flower during a hot summer day – hurt by the burning touch of the sun but its beauty magnified by the golden rays.

'Because you know this time he might not come home.' A voice in her head replied.

'He will. He always does, just as he always promises me he will.' She countered.

'He didn't promise this time.' The voice shot back and Ino almost jumped out of her warm blankets.

He… didn't?

Shikamaru's face appeared in her eyes, the small wave of his hand and that impish grin.

He didn't?

"_Sigh… Yes, Ino. I promise I'll come home."_

"_Mendokusai… I promise, I promise! Now get off my back!"_

"_I, Nara Shikamaru, solemnly promise that I will return home from my mission alive. Happy!"_

He always said it. But this time…

"_I'll try not to disappoint you."_

He didn't. He didn't promise.

He hadn't said the words.

Ino felt her world spinning violently out of control.

'Trying isn't enough, Shika.'

Ino pushed her face deeper into her arms as she wrapped them around her knees.

'You better come home.'

"_Ino, Shikamaru asked us to come send him off tomorrow. Will you come?"_

"_Yeah, I'll be there Chouji." Ino answered absent-mindedly. Her mind drifted away from Chouji and towards images of Shikamaru's smiling face._

"_Good! My mother says its bad luck not to send someone off when they ask you. So Shikamaru will come home safe and sound if we're there, right?" Ino didn't know what to say._

'Why am I feeling this way?'

'You know why, Ino.' That voice had returned. But it was right.

She DID know why.

'You better come home, Shika.'

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Endnote: Please tell me what you think. : ) 


	3. Lost

Author's note: This chapter was badly written and I apologize for it. I've been running out of inspiration to write and I kind of rushed through it. I'm sorry. As usual, feel free to tell me your beefs. Thanks!

Disclaimer: If I claimed I owned Naruto, my lawyers would quit.

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Ino was running as fast as her legs could carry her. Her white blonde hair was disheveled and whipped wildly around her face as she darted towards the main gates of Konohagakure. Several merchants who had come to the marketplace early, stopped in their work to stare at the young woman who was running through the village, wearing only her nightgown.

'Dammit, I overslept!' Ino was sweating lightly despite the cool, morning air.

'I have to make it!' Focusing her chakra into the soles of her bare feet, the young woman leaped high into the air and jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Her thin nightgown was billowing in the wind, flying past her thigh as she jumped, but she didn't care. She just had to get there.

'Shika, wait for me.' She pleaded silently.

Her nightdress caught on a loose branch as she hopped from a rooftop to a tree, it tore, revealing more of her slender body. But Ino still didn't care, for she could see the heavy wooden gates that led to the forest that surrounded the forest.

'Almost there.' She smiled to herself.

The young woman launched her body further into the sky and crossed a great distance, before landing firmly on her feet, knees bent to absorb the force of the impact. Chouji felt her presence and turned to face her, a look of surprise and shock on his face as Ino looked the worse for wear. Her hair hung wildly on her shoulders and there was a smidgen of dirt across her fair cheek.

"Ino, what happened to you? Why are you still in your nightgown?" He asked, concerned filled his warm eyes.

"I'm here! I'm here, Chouji. I made it." A smile of satisfaction spread across her sullied yet still beautiful face. She looked around, eyes frantically searching for the man she had come to send off, but she only found the strange looks of the villagers. She was almost half-naked, and the curve of her firm breasts could be seen under her badly torn nightgown. Some men had taken to staring at her chest, hoping to get a better glimpse of her womanly features.

Chouji was aware of those blatant gazes and immediately took off his jacket and put it on Ino's thin shoulders, shielding her body from prying eyes. She pulled it around herself gratefully.

"Thanks Chouji, I was getting cold."

"I can't believe I got here before that lazy bum." She was still smiling, still searching for him.

Then she saw him. A shadowy figure slouching by the gates, wearing a green flak jacket, jet-black hair tied up in a spiky ponytail.

* * *

"_What?"_

"_Do you think I'll ever find someone who will love me as much as I will love him?"_

"_How should I know?"_

"_You're the super genius!"_

"_It doesn't mean I know everything. But why do you ask?"_

"_I don't know… It's just that I wish I had someone to love. Some to care for, to fuss over… Someone whom I can call as my own, always and forever."_

"_I see… I'm sure you'll find that person some day, Ino."_

"_Really? You're not just saying that to get me to shut up?"_

"_Hah! Like you'll shut up that easily!"_

"_Shikamaru!"_

_

* * *

_

It was dawn. The sun was just slowly beginning its upward journey towards the blue yonder. It was coyly showing its golden face behind the hills that lay beyond Konoha's borders, and the sky was a beautiful mix of red, orange and yellow hues. The creatures of the night began retreating back into the dark corners of the forest outside the gates, as the beasts of the day awakened and began their activity. Yet, the village was quiet and still, all of its residents still undisturbed from their peaceful slumber. All except six people who were making their way to the village gates, careful not to make any noise that may provoke the sleep of others.

Shikamaru, Neji, Shino and Sakura were about to leave for their mission in the Earth country while Tsunade and Chouji had come to send them off. Looking at the small, sad band of beings, one couldn't help but feel a little sad for they seemed so lonely, so forlorn. And they were. They were going off on a mission they might not return from and that sense of knowing that each step may be leading you closer to your death is not something you could share with someone who wasn't in the same situation. It was the loneliest feeling in the world – knowing that you are staring death right in the face and knowing that you chose to do so. The four young ninja could only take small comfort in the fact that at least they would share each other's fate and that if they were to die, their sacrifices would serve a greater purpose.

And their loved ones not being there made their leaving seem even more poignant.

Shikamaru and Shino's parents were on a mission, and were unable to send their sons off, while Sakura's mother was ill and the pink-haired kunoichi had forbidden her from leaving her bed. Neji's parents, on the other hand, were both dead and his uncle would have come in their stead, but Hiashi had urgent matters of the clan to attend to. Though the younger man once harbored a great resentment against his uncle, the two had grown close in recent years and Hiashi had come to see Neji as his own son. Hinata offered herself as a stand in, not only because she wanted to send her beloved cousin off but to wish her former teammate, Shino, the best of luck as well. But Neji wouldn't allow it for she was still recuperating from her injuries sustained in a previous mission and insisted that she stayed home. Even when she had shed tears of distress and voiced fervent protests, he made her promise to stay and even got Hanabi to watch over her. Their other friends were all occupied one way or the other and probably had no news of their impending mission. Lee, Tenten, Kiba and Naruto were acting as liaisons in the Hidden Sand – this year's host for the Chuunin exam, while many of their jounin senseis such as Gai, Kakashi and Asuma were in other countries on missions.

Thus, Tsunade took it upon herself to see that they had at least some measure of comfort, knowing that there would be someone to see them leave and to send them off with sincere wishes of good luck. But she silently doubted that her presence would offer them any solace and she bit on her painted lips to hold back the dam of tears that were threatening to burst from her eyes. And painful as it was, sometimes it was necessary to sacrifice the lives of a few to protect the lives of many. It was decision that only a hokage would have to undertake. Tsunade knew that it was a great responsibility that kages had to face, including her grandfather, but she hadn't thought that one day she would have to carry this burden as well. She still didn't know whether she was making the right decision, but it was too late to back out now.

As the team slowly walked towards the gate, Tsunade was giving her apprentice Sakura some last minute medical advice, while Shino and Neji were making pitiful attempts to have a conversation about the weather to ease their nervousness. It was strange to see the two young men so unnerved, as they were always cool, calm and collected. Shikamaru was craning his neck, scanning the still darkened streets with his sharp eyes. Chouji knew whom his best friend was waiting for. Normally, the stout man would have jumped at any opportunity to tease his friend mercilessly, taunting him about a certain blond haired, curvy female. He would playfully ask Shikamaru whom he was waiting for, and the deer herder would blush and snap that he wasn't waiting for anybody. Then, Chouji would point at something behind Shikamaru and yell "Ino!", prompting the brunette to spin around on his heels, eyes wide, searching intently at the spot where his best friend had pointed. When he discovered that he had been tricked, he would blush a deeper shade of red and muttered "mendokusai" under his breath as he always did. He was obviously caught red-handed and Chouji would delight in his companion's embarrassment, laughing his head off with chips in his mouth. This time, he couldn't bring himself to laugh.

"She'll come, Shikamaru." Chouji put a big hand on the shadow master's shoulder, reassuring his friend with a touch that he knew meant so much to him. It was their way of telling each other that "Things will be alright, I've got your back." Shikamaru had to smile at his friend. After all this years, it was still Chouji who understood him best, it was Chouji who always stood by his side. They had been inseparable since the day they met and they could tell what was in the other's mind without having to speak. But even now, his best friend couldn't possibly understand the torment he was going through nor would he be able around to watch his back this time.

"Who?" Shikamaru asked innocently, feigning a look of confusion on his face. Then both men shared a moment of childish laughter, and for a moment, all their worries and seemed to melt away. But as quickly as the laughter came, it disappeared, and both were again reminded of why they were here.

"Shikamaru, its time to go." Neji called for his team leader.

"Its time already?" The wiry young man declared disbelievingly. "But she isn't here yet." He mumbled. No one heard it, except the wind that was now blowing softly in his face. It was caressing his cheek sweetly, bringing with it the smell of the trees and dango that made Konoha famous, as though the wind was giving him a parting gift - memories of his home to bring with him on the mission. Shikamaru stood there unmoving, a small smile on his lips as he let the cool breeze embrace his body. Somehow, it reminded him more of Ino. Her fingers were always cool, and he liked it when she pressed them to his forehead to check if he had a fever after a day of training in the rain.

"We have to leave if we are to get there in three days." Neji spoke up again. He understood the other man's reluctance - a feeling he had experienced before when he had loved the woman Shikamaru was now waiting for. But they had a mission to complete.

"Let's go." Shikamaru replied. His back was still to his teammates. He took one last look at the village and reached out to put his palm on Chouji's chest, the sturdy man did the same in return. Without a word, he turned to join the rest as they began their lonely walk towards the Earth Country.

Then, Shikamaru turned to look behind his back one more time. Still holding onto hope that a new order would come and he wouldn't have to leave, still holding on to seeing her smiling face. The young man found neither.

Chouji watched the four leave until they disappeared into the shadows that shrouded the forest and he could see them no longer. He reached up to touch his chest where Shikamaru had put his hand, and was surprised when his fingertips brushed against paper instead of cloth. He slowly drew out a white envelope from the pocket in which it was tucked and on it was written simply "For Ino".

* * *

The man wasn't the one she was looking for.

Ino thought that Chouji had given her a handkerchief to wipe her tears but he had given her an envelope instead. Tears were blurring her vision, and she couldn't read what was written on it. Swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, Ino had recognized Shikamaru's lopsided handwriting before she had come to read what he had written. With shaking fingers, she tore open the edge of the envelope and out came a delicate gold necklace, with a shining blue gem for a locket. Blue that was exactly the color of her eyes. She reached into the envelope with two fingers and brought out a small piece of paper that was folded neatly. Her hands were shaking even more now and with great effort, she managed to unfold it without tearing the ghost white sheet. Tears welled in her cerulean eyes, spilling onto her porcelain skin as she read it. She sobbed dreadfully, clutching the necklace to her heart as the paper slipped from her grasp and she sank to the ground on her knees. Everyone was staring now, but not because they were gawking at a strange sight, but because the young woman's weeping seemed to touch the very core of their beings. They couldn't help but feel sympathy for her and wondered what could it be that made her cry like this.

Chouji knelt to hold her in his huge arms as she sobbed and his eyes fell on the piece of paper lying sadly on the damp ground. On it were written six words, six small words that conveyed a whole of wave of emotions and held so much meaning that it hurts your heart just reading it.

"I am yours. Always and forever."

* * *

Endnote: Hope you didn't cringe while reading it. I've thought up of two endings, I always do when I write – one's a good ending, one's a not so good ending. Please tell me which you prefer and I'll write that one. Thanks:) 


	4. Jealousy

Author's notes: I know this story is beginning to seem a little draggy but I don't like to rush. And I like to take time out to explore the characters and their development through out the story. The next chapter(s?) will have more action, I promise. In the meantime, thanks to all the reviewers. Enjoy :)

* * *

As the sun continued to rise in the sky, four young ninjas were making their way through the forest to the Earth country. They were walking in silence, no one spoke or said anything. The only sounds that could be heard were the distant twittering of the birds and the occasional rustle in the underbrush as unseen animals went about their business. The three men didn't mind the quietness, in fact they found it rather relaxing. Shikamaru, Neji and Shino weren't exactly the talkative type and they preferred to speak only when spoken to, the three were quite alike in this sense. Sakura, on the other hand, found the absence of human voice rather unnerving and very uncomfortable. The boys hadn't so much as cough or sneeze, let alone utter a word and she became increasingly frustrated. She was after all a girl and she lived to talk, chat, gossip, and converse like all females do. But this was getting to be too much! She couldn't take the deafening silence anymore. 

"Nice weather today, don't you think? Neji-kun." She said to the tall, handsome man walking in front of her in the sweetest voice she could muster.

"Hm?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched.

"I said, nice weather today. Don't you think, Neji-kun?" She repeated herself slowly, so that he could catch her words.

Neji looked up to the sky, his squinted his pale eyes as the sun's bright rays washed over his upturned face.

"I suppose so." Came his brief reply.

Sakura pressed on, wanting to ignite the small ember that is this conversation.

"Don't you just love weather like this?" She asked cheerfully.

Sakura loved sunny days for it reminded her of good memories she had with her old genin team as well as her good friends – Hinata, Tenten and especially Ino. Even though their friendship was broken due to their competition over the attentions of the sole remaining Uchiha, that fractured relationship was mended after both women had grown out of that childish infatuation. They had moved on to other men and other relationships, with Sakura hooking up with Naruto, while Ino explored her chances with Neji. Though both couples did not last for long, they knew that they were still young and that they had all the time in the world to find the one meant for them. In the meantime, Sakura was perfectly content being single and giggling with her friends over the many good-looking men that inhabited their village.

Inuzuka Kiba was one prime example. The unassuming ugly duckling had turned into a rather attractive young man and Kiba was now one of Konoha's most sought after bachelors. He was of average height and was slight compared to Neji's tall frame or Chouji's bulk, but he had a well-muscled body to rival even the legendary athletes of Ancient Greece. Sakura once had the pleasant opportunity to see the Jounin shirtless during a training session and she had to stop herself from drooling as she watched his corded muscles ripple as he moved. The childish, toothy smirk was now replaced by a confident and self-assured smile, and she had to blush when she found herself thinking that his two sharp canines were sexy. Even the red markings on his tanned skin were strangely erotic and alluring to Sakura.

Neji was also another example. If he had been good-looking during his genin days, he was absolutely HOT now. The long, flowing brown locks draped on his strong back, the mysterious yet gentle silver eyes, the smooth flawless skin that never seems to darken even after hours of training under the sun. Sakura could go on and on about all the things that made Neji as attractive as he was. But while Kiba was friendly and outgoing, Neji was the direct opposite. The Hyuuga genius was quiet and subdued to say the least. Sakura couldn't remember if she ever heard him laugh or to speak above a whisper unless it was to shout at his teammates to evade an enemy's attack or to yell at Naruto to shut up. She found his silent demeanor a little awkward at times, especially if they were alone. Other times she appreciated the aura of calm, level headedness he exuded.

But now was not such a time.

"Aa." The man replied. "At least it isn't raining."

Normally, Sakura would blow up at the lack of effort on Neji's part to sustain the dialogue between them but this time she let it slip. She knew the significance of rainy days in his less than rosy life and decided not to pursue the matter further. She debated whether to shift her attention to her other team members and to attempt another doomed conversation or to just remain quiet. Sakura didn't know how she survived one year with Konoha's three least talkative people, it was nothing short of a miracle.

"Sakura?"

The sudden sound surprised the young woman.

Nara Shikamaru, shadow master, deer herder, strategist extraordinaire, _go_ expert and overall lazy jackass just spoke to her?

"Can I ask you a question?" He sounded… Nervous? No, Sakura didn't think he did. Strained? No, Shikamaru still had that lazy drawl. She couldn't put a finger on it.

"Sure." She answered uncertainly.

"Why didn't Ino come to send you off today?"

Shikamaru tried to sound disinterested as he spoke and kept his gaze averted from Sakura's. But she immediately knew his intention when she saw the red tinge on his cheeks. The shadow user didn't want to know why Ino didn't show up to send Sakura off, he wanted to know why Ino didn't come at all. He knew that Chouji would have passed his message to her but he didn't know why she hadn't turn up. Shikamaru thought of hundreds of possibilities of her absence but he didn't find any of them satisfactory. Sakura smiled mischievously to herself. She was going to have some fun with him.

"Oh, I'd expect she's busy." Sakura replied, trying hard to not smirk or to laugh.

"Busy? With what?"

Shikamaru kept a look of nonchalance on his face but Sakura didn't miss the slight raising of his thin eyebrows. She was going to enjoy herself indeed.

"Oh, she met someone at the Konoha festival last month." Sakura felt that she was going to burst out in fits of hysterical laughter. She bit on her pink lips to keep from snickering.

Shikamaru's eyes widened, then narrowed with displeasure. His brows were furrowed and the red hue on his face a brief moment ago disappeared.

'She didn't tell me about that.' He frowned deeply as he thought to himself.

Ino always confided in him and he didn't about this 'someone' she had just met. She told him everything that took place in her life, from her breaking a nail during a mission or her having a fight with her mother. But lately they had drifted apart and she talked to him less for he was always busy. Anger began to well deep within him. Anger that he didn't know whether it was directed towards this new person, towards Ino or whether he was simply angry with himself. It was jealousy escalated to a new level.

"Who?" He demanded. Shikamaru didn't bother to hide his true feelings anymore, and the tightness in his voice bore evidence of that. His hands were balled into fists by his sides and he gritted his teeth till the muscles in his jaw jumped.

Sakura froze. She had guessed that Shikamaru had something for Ino but she didn't expect him to react so violently to what could be a mere rumor. The lean, young man beside her was exuding such an aura of pure rage that Sakura's heart began beating wildly. She had never seen her team leader like this before. It was a part of his personality that she had never encountered before. Shikamaru was one of those people who could never get angry no matter what. Even during missions when they were faced with cruel and twisted enemies, she never so him lose his temper or blow his stack. He always calm and unruffled in the face of such turmoil. Neji and even Shino had moments where they lost their cool but not Shikamaru. This sudden change in his usual placid behavior scared her.

But just as quickly as the sudden wave of rage consumed him, the young man just as quickly relaxed. He let out a long breath. He had frightened his poor teammate and he knew it. Raging about the presence of a new man in Ino's life wasn't going to achieve anything and he was ashamed that he had lost control over his emotions like that. He turned to face Sakura and flashed her a sheepish grin.

"Sorry." He mumbled and scratched the back of his hand with his right hand. "I don't know what came over me..." He look faintly embarrassed.

Sakura blinked.

What just happened?

"Its ok, Shikamaru." To her, it seemed that he had calmed down.

He smiled again but remained silent and looked away. Sakura knew what was bothering him but she wasn't sure what to do.

"Um…" Sakura began hesitantly. "I don't know why Ino didn't come, Shikamaru."

And she saw him smile for the third time but this time there was bitterness behind it. She felt bad for him. She really wished she could have given him an answer, at least to console him. But Sakura really didn't know why Ino hadn't come. The two good friends had spoken briefly after Tsunade had assigned the task force their mission but Sakura hadn't thought to ask Ino to come send her off. She always did. Come rain or shine, Ino always came to send her best buddy off. Naturally, Sakura was a little surprised that she hadn't turn up this morning but quickly dismissed all worries for she was sure that Ino had a sound reason for not coming. She wondered if Shikamaru knew it, or did his feelings for her cloud his judgment.

"I know you were waiting for her." Sakura said softly. She looked up at the tall Jounin and saw sadness in his ebony eyes. But he didn't speak.

"I know there's a reason for her not showing up." She continued. "If it wasn't important, she would have come."

The slender young woman put one delicate hand on his wrist and pulled his arm towards her so that he turned to face her. Shikamaru was taken aback by the sudden physical contact.

"She would have come. Not just for me. But for you." She stared into his eyes, her gaze unwavering, as if she was trying to convey the undeniable truth in her deep green orbs.

"Especially for _you_."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. Sakura's words were surprising to say the least.

'Ino would have come especially for me?' He pondered bewilderedly.

After he had requested that Chouji ask Ino to come send him off, he felt like kicking himself in the behind. What was he thinking? Of course she would come. Her best friend was going off as well, of course she would have come that morning. But to ask that she come for _him_, what was he thinking? Who was he to her? A teammate, an old family friend? Sakura was her best friend, someone she had known closely since they were children, and someone whom she spent most of her waking hours with. How could he compare?

But after what Sakura said, he didn't know what to believe.

Sakura, as if knowing what was going through his mind, squeezed his hand gently.

"She would have come." She asserted.

He had to smile.

All this while, Neji had been listening in on their conversation. So had Shino but he didn't care much for chats on topics such as these and took the walk through the woods as an opportunity to discover more insects. But Neji knew Shikamaru's pain. He felt the same when he had been with Ino. It was painful every time he had to leave her before setting off on a mission. The both of them would share a tender moment alone a few minutes before and speak words of reassurance to each other. Telling each other to be strong, to keep hope and to take care of themselves. But never once did he see Ino cry. She was strong. Stronger than most kunoichis he knew. And she carried herself with a feminine grace that was both alluring and yet deadly misleading. Beneath the soft curves and silky skin was a tough nut that was hard to crack. She never faltered in missions and was just as brave and hardy as her male teammates maybe even more so. She was also very bossy no doubt, and would throw tantrums (as well as any objects she could get her hands on) if she didn't get her way.

But on the day he and Shino had gone to get Shikamaru, his perception of her had changed. The two young men had received word from Izumo that Tsunade wanted the team immediately and they had set out to look for their team leader. When they had gotten to his house, they found the house empty and both knew where he would be. However, they didn't expect him to have company and when Neji recognized the woman with him, he asked Shino to go ahead alone. He wasn't avoiding her nor did their breakup leave each other with acrimonious feelings but he didn't want to make things awkward for her. So Neji wisely choose to watch from afar as Shikamaru got up and spoke his last words with her. As the two men met up with him, Neji saw that Ino looked strange. Her proud head, always held high, was drooping sadly. And she had a hand to her face, touching her eyes. Was Ino doing what he thought she was doing?

Neji waited till the others had their backs to him and he silently activated his Byakugan. And he saw something that he didn't think he would ever see.

He saw Ino crying.

'Shikamaru, my friend.' Thought Neji. 'You're a lucky man.'

Then he remembered Ino's sudden mood swings and violent temper. Neji had to think twice.

And the silver-eyed genius nodded knowingly to himself, a small smile playing on his thin lips.

* * *

Endnote: I'm running out of inspiration! NOOOOOO! 


	5. Burden

Author's note: I'm sorry I took so long with this chapter but I was running out of ideas. Again, I wanna thank those who gave me great reviews and great advice, love you guys. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I dont own anything.

* * *

It took them two days to reach the border of the Earth country. The country was surrounded by green, rolling hills on the west, and tall craggy mountains could be seen in the horizon to the east. The plains itself was a meld of light green and earthy brown. It wasn't nearly as dry or arid as the Wind country but Shikamaru felt that Konoha's air was much sweeter and cooler.

The four decided to take residence in an inn that was situated near the hidden village to go through their plans once again and to use it as a base ground.

The inn was a moderate sized lodging place and was made of old wood and dull grey concrete. Though it looked old and a little run down, there still seemed to be quite a number of people who resided there, as there were only a few available rooms left. The team had long changed out of their shinobi uniforms and wore simple civilian clothing. Shikamaru had removed his flak jacket but still wore his net shirt under a plain cloth shirt and while Shino still had on his high collared jacket, he had let down the hood. A strand of his dark hair formed a small curl on his right temple where his forehead protector normally was. Neji, on the other hand, replaced his traditional Hyuuga flowing robes with a buttoned up shirt and covered the seal on his forehead with a wrap of bandages. Sakura had helped him tie on a leather strap to hold the bandages in place. She then replaced her combat clothes and was attired in a light blue kimono with a sea green sash around her slim waist.

Shikamaru couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when the foursome walked into the inn without attracting so much as a sideway glance from the people around. During the short time they had to prepare for the mission, Shikamaru had done some research on the normal clothing worn by the people in the Earth country and spent the evening looking for similar attire in the Leaf village. It took him half the night and was the reason why he didn't join Ino for dinner.

'At least it was worth it.' He thought bitterly.

The innkeeper was a middle-aged man. Plump and balding, he had pockmarks all over his face and his clothes were filthy to say the least. The quartet had earlier decided to rent two rooms, one for Sakura, the lone female while the three men would share the other one. As she leaned on the table to sign the guest book, the beady-eyed man shifted his gaze to her plunging neckline. He was obviously enjoying the sight before him and played with the toothpick in his mouth almost obscenely. The older man was flicking it with his tongue, as though he was imagining that something else was between his lips. Sakura was blissfully oblivious unaware to the man's inappropriate glances and even smiled sweetly as she looked at him when she was done. The innkeeper took it as an encouragement and smiled in return, baring his tobacco stained teeth.

Shikamaru could smell the thick scent of liquor on his breath and he scrunched his nose at the offending smell.

Opening a drawer beneath the desk, the unabashed man never took his eyes off the young woman's nubile body even as he rummaged for the keys to their rooms. When he finally found it, Sakura reached out to take it from him but the innkeeper had other ideas. He pretended to fumble with the key and it fell to the floor with a slight tingle.

"Oops."

He sounded apologetic but the hint of lust in his voice didn't escape the attentive ears of the three young men. He raised himself slightly from the old wooden chair he was sitting on, hoping to get a good glimpse of what was coming next. Or otherwise know as Sakura's round, firm breasts. Said kunoichi was about to bend over to pick up the small metal object when Neji swiped the key from the floor in one quick movement. Sakura was surprised at his sudden chivalry but Shikamaru and Shino wasn't. Neji fingered the key and handed it to Sakura, careful to let their fingers brush tenderly. The stout man frowned at this implication and didn't try to hide his disappointment or his sudden distaste for this tall, handsome man.

"Thank you." Neji said coolly, his pale eyes steady on the older man's. The innkeeper shifted back in his chair unconsciously when he met Neji's steely gaze and gulped. This man wasn't to be fooled around with.

Neji proceeded to grab Sakura's elbow and led her up the stairs to their rooms, holding her close to his strong body in full view of the now fuming innkeeper. Sakura was a smart girl herself and knew that Neji's behavior was out of the ordinary, but when she looked up, she gasped. His eyes were chakra laden, and the spidery veins leading to them were puffed up. The usually invisible iris became clearer and more defined against his milky white eyes. Neji watched through the back of his skull as the innkeeper's eyes narrowed while he looked at them leave. But the older man's countenance changed as his gaze shifted from shooting daggers at the back of Neji's head to Sakura's swaying hips.

"Neji… Wha?" Sakura hissed.

"I told you to wear more sensible clothing." He whispered.

Sakura's mouth fell open as sudden realization dawned on her. She pulled the folds of the kimono around her body tighter and wrapped her arms around her chest as she shivered slightly. She couldn't help but shudder at the thought of someone looking at her like that, and the pink haired woman never felt more violated and embarrassed before in her young life. Neji smirked at her awkward reaction and the tinge of red touching her smooth cheeks.

The man was still looking and Neji knew that as long as he thought that Sakura was taken, he would think twice about trying anything bold with her. The innkeeper wasn't a threat to anybody particularly a strapping young man such as Neji.

The Hyuuga genius led the pretty woman up the stairs, with Shino and Shikamaru close behind, wide grins on their faces.

The four settled in one room first to talk, for they were ninjas and they couldn't let their guard down no matter how peaceful things may seem. They dropped their meagre luggage on the floor and Shikamaru plopped his weary body down on the bed with a long sigh. Shino dragged a chair heavily from the table in the middle of the room to sit by the window. Neji leaned against the wall while Sakura stood beside him, her arm still folded in front of her chest.

No one spoke and the four ninjas remained in silence.

This was it.

The mission was now in a state of no return.

"So what do we do now?" Shino broke the ice. He turned to face Shikamaru. The ray of the evening sun poured through the window and his dark glasses glinted as it caught the beams of sunlight.

The shadow master didn't move. He lay there as still as a log, looking up at the cracked ceiling. Never taking his eyes off a particular spot where the paint had peeled, revealing an older layer of paint that looked remotely like dried blood.

Shino knew he was thinking, as it was a habit of his to go silent when he was thinking. If things really got bad, the pony-tailed man would cast his hands into his signature bowl shaped thinking stance. The insect expert waited patiently for an answer.

"We take a rest." Shikamaru finally replied, he was still on his back and his head was pillowed on his arms. "It's going to be too dark for us to do anything. And until we get used to the terrain here, there will be no missions in the night."

Neji nodded. That made sense. They didn't know their way around and running off in the middle of the night would mean that they were just moving blind. There would be a higher chance of getting caught and trying to explain what you were doing sneaking around in the night never had any good outcomes.

"But wouldn't we be wasting time?" Shino queried. He understood the reason and logic behind Shikamaru's decision, but nothing should be taken for granted. Sometimes, he took to himself to be the devil's advocate of the group because there should always be a second opinion in any decision to be made.

Shikamaru propped himself up on one elbow.

"Maybe. But it was a long journey and a good rest is never wasted." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Besides, Tsunade-sama didn't specify a time limit to get what we want."

That was true. She had told them to collect information but she never told them when they should return. She had left that decision to Shikamaru.

"Furthermore, a mission like this shouldn't be rushed." Neji added.

With that, Shino nodded and left the issue at that.

'Oh well, a good night's sleep would be nice.'

The young, bespectacled man couldn't remember the last time he slept in a warm, soft bed and the idea of it seemed appealing to him. The past few days as they were travelling, the four of them had slept on whatever safe ground they could find but it was not necessarily comfortable. They had spent the first night in a cave and it had been dank and smelled badly of rotten meat. The team took turns keeping watch in the cold night, hoping that the previous resident of the cave would not return that night. The second night was spent in a forest clearing and the hard ground made it hard to sleep as Shino could feel small pebbles and twigs in his back. He felt his head nodding in sleepiness as he thought of the inviting embrace of the bed.

"If we're done, I'll head to my room." Sakura spoke up.

"I'll go with you." Neji offered. And he held the door open for her. She smiled shyly and slipped out gracefully with the young man close behind her.

Shikamaru watched as the two left the room and closed the heavy wooden door behind them. He grinned playfully and turned to look at Shino who had the same smile on his face.

* * *

The next morning, they had woken early for their mission had now entered its crucial state. They had gathered in Sakura's room after a simple breakfast to discuss their duties for the day.

Shikamaru had split the team into two – Shino and Sakura would be in one team, while he and Neji would be in the other.

Shino and Sakura were appointed to go into the hidden village and to gather as much as information as they could about the amount of ninjas in the village as well as the layout of the place. Shikamaru decided that they would be best suited for this task as they would be less likely to attract attention to themselves as compared to him and Neji. For Neji's unique appearance and bloodline limit had become known far and wide since his appointment to the task force. Shikamaru had created quite a name for himself too, though his appearance was not as distinctive than Neji's, he didn't want to take that chance. And Shikamaru was certain that Takeshi would have heard at least some rumors concerning them. Furthermore, Shino's destruction bugs could slip into any place in the village and help to obtain any information otherwise impossible to acquire through human senses. Shikamaru and Neji would then scout the village's border patrol and surrounding terrain. Neji's special ability of penetrating sight was most useful in this situation and Shikamaru's superior intellect and memory would be vital to memorizing troop positions. In addition, the two were more adapt at blending into their backgrounds and Shikamaru's shadow techniques could keep them well out of enemy sight.

They decided to meet at the inn when the sun begins to set.

After wishing each other luck, they started their duties immediately.

The Hyuuga and Nara were sitting in a tall tree a few meters away from the village walls, their tall forms concealed by the dense foliage of the trees. Neji's chakra pumped eyes watched as Sakura and Shino passed through the village gates without any hint of trouble. One of the guards had smiled at her and given her a playful wink, which Sakura returned with a sweet smile and a slight curtsy.

"Trust a woman to get noticed for the wrong reasons." He said with a chuckle.

Shikamaru uttered a throaty laugh and nodded in agreement.

Sakura's natural beauty sometimes brought unwanted attention both to herself and to her teammates, and it could interfere with a mission other times. But there were also numerous situations in which her stunning looks and womanly wiles had saved them from certain death. That woman could charm her way out of any troublesome situation with sweet words, pouting lips and batting eyelashes. Though Neji didn't always approve of such behavior, he had to admit that it had prevented many a dangerous times.

"Their border patrol is like clockwork." Shikamaru said. His eyes were narrowed, and he was squinting to get a better look at the men walking along the tall walls that surrounded the Hidden Stone village.

"Their walls aren't as tall or as strong as Konoha's, but no one is ever late for his duty." He added. "Their timing is right down to the second."

Neji nodded in agreement. He marvelled at their dedication and discipline. His eyes still retained their puffed up form, and he slowly scanned the area with his telescopic and penetrating sight.

"Their discipline is amazing. They don't even talk on duty." Neji let out a low whistle of disbelief. "Do you think they are preparing _for_ an attack from another country? Or if they are preparing _to_ attack?"

Shikamaru shook his head. His eyes were focused on a section of the wall that was slightly higher than the rest. It seemed to be a center of activity of some sorts for he saw many ninjas congregating there.

"I doubt so. They are probably on high alert because of attacks from the Godaime Tsuchikage's loyal men. They have not given up yet."

"I see."

The sun was high in the sky by the time the two men had scouted the east and north sections of the wall. It was beginning to get hotter, and sweat plastered Neji's long coffee brown hair to the back of his neck. Drops of moisture rolled from Shikamaru's high forehead and down his cheek to drip off his chin onto the ground that loomed beneath them. The deer herder hoped that no one taking a walk through the forest would notice the suspicious small pool of liquid forming on the ground directly beneath him. The air was getting thick and sweat kept pouring into his ebony eyes, making it sting. He found it hard to see and decided to rely fully on Neji instead.

"What do you see, Neji?"

"This section is more heavily guarded than the east." The other man replied. "I'm not surprised. This section is faced by a wide plain, there's nothing to slow down an enemy attack. The eastern section was facing tall mountains. No one in their right mind would attack from there."

Shikamaru nodded and committed to memory everything that Neji had just told him. He trusted Neji's judgment and reasoning for the other man was quite a genius himself and his unique ability ensured that nothing escaped his sight.

"What rank do you think these shinobi are?" Shikamaru queried.

He had his back against the tree trunk and he could feel the sweat soaking through his thin shirt, making the fabric stick to his damp skin. The feeling was irritating as hell, but he couldn't let himself be distracted. Shikamaru absently swiped one long sleeve across his temple, but the sleeve was already saturated and it brought no comfort from the moisture pooling on Shikamaru's brow.

"Mostly chuunins, maybe some jounins as the captains." Neji swallowed. But the hard lump in his throat remained. "They don't look like easy pickings, Shikamaru."

"I know." Shikamaru was looking up at the clouds. "That's why we have to remain as inconspicuous as possible."

Both men sat in silence for a while, not wanting to speak. Maybe it's because of the overwhelming heat, or the overwhelming feeling of fear that seemed to tighten its grip around them with each passing moment.

"Let's move on." Shikamaru said softly.

"Yeah." Came Neji's simple reply.

And both men leapt nimbly from tree to tree, making their way carefully and unseen to their next destination.

* * *

At dusk, both men returned to the inn exhausted. They had arrived before Sakura and Shino had, and the two were in fact late but Shikamaru gave little thought to it. He was too tired to think properly anymore and he stretched his lanky body out on the bed. Neji had done the same, removing the bandages around his forehead he laid himself down on the bed, not caring that his curse seal was exposed. Both men fell asleep in their dirty clothes, not bothering to clean themselves first or to wait for their absent teammates.

And in that moment of carelessness, the two resting men did not realize that their room window was wide open.

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Endnote: I know I said that this would be a five chapter effort but now that I'm on the fifth and only halfway through my storyline, I dont know how long it will go on. I hope you guys will bear with me. :) 


	6. Desire

Author's note: I apologize for the lack of ShikaIno in the last chatpers, but its difficult writing about them when they are in two different places. I hope this chapter at least makes up for it. About 3 chapters left. Stick with me! Enjoy:)

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There was a splash of blue and a flash of yellow behind his closed eyes. Cool fingers on his cheek and soft, lustrous hair brushing his bare chest. A warm, unclothed body pressed tightly against his own. He felt her firm, round breasts on his skin, and as he breathed, his chest rose to meet hers. Her long, slender legs were intertwined with his muscular ones. His strong arms were wrapped around her slim waist. Her fingers moved from his face to play with his thick, dark hair and he felt goose bumps rising on the back of his neck as her warm breath tickled his ear. The sweet smell of orchids wafted into his nostrils. A musical voice was calling out to him.

"Shikamaru." He knew that voice.

Ino.

"What…?"

Shikamaru's eyes shot open and he woke up with a start. His heart was beating fast and he was breathing hard, his well-muscled chest rising sharply with each breath. The young man was dimly aware of the stiffness between his legs and blushed despite himself when he remembered where he really was. He was in the inn, and not in Ino's arms. Ino's naked arms, creamy white and slender. And he pictured those naked arms attached to her equally naked torso, which were in turn attached to a pair of long, smooth legs. He felt a stirring in his groin again and flushed even redder.

"What the hell was that?" He wondered aloud.

"That was you having a naughty dream." A voice suddenly replied.

Shikamaru yelped in surprise and almost jumped out of his bed. He had forgotten that he wasn't alone in the room.

"N… Neji." He stuttered, suddenly embarrassed that his teammate had known exactly what had happened.

"Care to share what it was about?"

It was near dawn and the room was still shrouded in inky darkness, and though Shikamaru couldn't see Neji's face, he could just imagine the smirk on his face now.

The shadow master frowned and let out an irritated snort.

Neji laughed.

"Don't worry. It's just you and me. Shino left a while ago to train." He was still smiling playfully.

Shikamaru had never been close to Neji in their childhood days, on the account that they were a year apart in age and thus were in different classes. In fact, the first time they had learned of each other's existence was during their early teens when they had taken part in the chuunin exam. After their failed attempt to retrieve Sasuke from the Sound ninjas, their budding friendship had begun to solidify. And when the task force had been set up, the two young men had become very well acquainted indeed.

To those who didn't know him, Neji seemed like a cold and distant young man. Naruto constantly referred to him as the 'old stick-up-the-ass Hyuuga' and everyone agreed that the young man acted far too mature for his age. Many young women in Konoha lamented the fact that such a handsome man would be so aloof and difficult to approach. And they would dreamily state that he would be even hotter if he smiled once in a while or if he loosened up a little.

Shikamaru didn't make that kind of wrong assumptions. For he knew that beneath that stoic exterior, lies a person with a wicked and sometimes evil sense of humor. Shikamaru was surprised when he first discovered this unknown side to Neji's personality, but he had grown quite used to his teammate's occasional moments of insanity. It was true that Neji seemed serious and solemn at times, however, Shikamaru knew that the young man was born into a noble family and thus had a reputation to uphold whether he liked it or not. But in the company of those he felt comfortable with, Neji's true self emerged. He would tell jokes that would make even Naruto blush and often played childish pranks on Sakura and Lee. And when Tenten and Lee announced that they were in a relationship, Neji would tease them mercilessly. Shikamaru wasn't exempt from his antics either.

"Well?" Neji continued his relentless assault. "Come on, Shikamaru."

"It's nothing." Shikamaru said.

"I'd hardly equate Ino to nothing." The smirk on the silver-eyed jounin's face widened and he chuckled.

Shikamaru's eyes widened with disbelief.

'How did he know?' He thought to himself.

"How did I know?" Neji asked innocently, as if reading his friend's thoughts. "Who else would it be? I'll bet you had a lot of fun, ne? Even if it's just in your mind."

And the longhaired man laughed again.

"Shut up." Shikamaru spat venomously.

"What?" Neji continued to feign innocence. "I'm just speaking from experience. Ino is something special."

Shikamaru's blood was boiling. And the anger building in the pit of his stomach was threatening to explode, and his fists clenched involuntarily on the bed sheets. He never felt like killing someone so much as he felt like strangling Neji right now. First Sakura tells him that Ino met up with a new person and now Neji was bragging about his exploits with Ino. Shikamaru wondered if the letter he gave her before he left meant anything at all.

"Hey, did I tell you about the time we…"

"I said SHUT UP!" Shikamaru flung himself off the bed and grabbed Neji's shirt, pulling the other man toward him. He was breathing hard with anger now but Neji didn't flinch or resist, he just sat on his bed passively.

Light was beginning to pour into the room as the sun rose slowly in the sky, and Shikamaru saw that Neji was still grinning like an idiot.

"And you said you didn't care for her in that way."

Shikamaru was struck dumb. He remembered a conversation he had with Neji shortly after the longhaired man had ended his relationship with Ino. Neji had asked him what he thought of Ino and whether he had ever seen the beautiful blonde as something more than a teammate. Shikamaru had said no.

The cat's out of the bag now.

He let go of Neji and sat down on his own bed wordlessly. Shikamaru scratched the back of his neck nervously, the red tinge that was on his cheeks previously had returned. There was no hiding it from Neji now.

"I…"

He was so busted.

"Hey, we didn't do anything ok?" Neji spoke as he straightened his clothes. "I'm not the type of guy who goes out with a girl just to score with her. Nor am I the type to brag about it later."

Shikamaru couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"I… I'm sorry, Neji." Shikamaru kept his gaze on the wooden floor. He had acted rashly and he figured that he owed the other man an apology.

Neji cocked an eyebrow and laughed, but not unkindly.

"Don't be. I was just trying to push your buttons." He fingered a tear on his shirt that was there wasn't there before and chortled. "I guess I did a good job."

Shikamaru could only smile sheepishly. He felt embarrassed that Neji knew what was on his mind and that he knew about his indecent dream. Even though the two men were good friends, it was still awkward when you have just had a wet dream and that he knew exactly whom you were dreaming about.

"But, don't you… I mean. She was your… you know." Shikamaru stuttered.

He hadn't told Neji how he had felt for Ino for he didn't like talking about things like these, he was a man after all and such matters seemed troublesome to him. Though Neji and Ino were officially over as a couple, he wondered if the other man still had feelings for the pretty blonde. And again, the young Hyuuga seemed to know exactly what his friend was thinking.

"Don't worry about it. We didn't work out but there are other fish in the sea." Neji smiled devilishly, his silver eyes flashing. "Besides, pink is starting to grow on me."

Shikamaru blinked. Neji sometimes surprised him. He could only laugh at his friend's words.

Suddenly, there was a small knock on the door, which was followed by a feminine voice.

"You guys ready?" Her voice was muffled from behind the heavy wooden door.

"I am. But Shikamaru isn't." Neji called out and stood to open the door. Sakura was standing in the doorway, dressed in a simple blue kimono.

As Neji turned to leave with Sakura, he gave Shikamaru a sly smile and the shadow master responded with an equally mischievous grin.

After Shikamaru had gotten dressed, he went to meet Sakura and Neji at a little restaurant that they had been frequenting during their stay at the Earth country. He found them in a secluded corner. He wondered whether the pair had chose a quiet spot so they could have some privacy or so the team could discuss their plans away from prying ears. Walking towards them, he saw that Shino was already there.

As he sat down, a waiter came to take his order but Shikamaru shook his head, indicating he didn't want anything. The others already had their meal and he didn't feel like eating anything for the dream was still playing in his mind. And it was hard trying to eat anything when everything reminded him of her naked body. The boiled eggs, the noodles, the warm milk. Shikamaru made a face and shook his head hard to get the erotic scenes out of his mind.

'Keep your mind on our mission, Nara.' He reminded himself.

"Is there something wrong, Shikamaru?" Shino asked, noting his teammate's strange behavior.

"Uh, erm… its nothing." Shikamaru replied nervously.

Neji smiled knowingly, Shino didn't miss the microexpression and made a mental note to question Shikamaru about it later. But now, they couldn't lose focus.

"Let's get down to business then." The bespectacled man stated.

Shikamaru knew he needed to get serious now. He couldn't let this distract him.

He leaned forward and shifted nearer to the table, the others did the same. He spoke in a low voice.

"We've been here for a fortnight now, and so far we have managed to avoid detection. Well, it's nothing short of a miracle, but we can't take things easy yet."

The team nodded in agreement.

"So far, we've gathered enough information for the Hokage to decide on the next course of action. Thanks to Sakura, we've even managed to discover the location of the disposed Tsuchikage."

Shikamaru nodded in Sakura's direction and she beamed with pride. That piece of information hadn't been easy to obtain and she had to use all of her wits as well as her womanly wiles to pry it out of a Rock ninja.

"Then are we leaving soon?" Shino queried.

Shikamaru nodded solemnly.

"Tomorrow. But we're far from done."

"Shikamaru and I have decided to scout the outer walls again today, just in case they make any changes in the patrol arrangement." Neji explained.

"Doesn't hurt to be extra careful." Shikamaru added.

"Sakura and Shino, you will stay at the inn and memorize the contents of this scroll. Once you are done, destroy it."

Shikamaru tossed the white scroll bound with a red band across the table. Shino caught it deftly and opened it slightly. He recognized Shikamaru's scrawled handwriting and the various diagrams depicting the patrol sequence and troop arrangements of the Rock ninjas.

"All that we have learned in this week is in here. Remember it well."

"Can't we just bring this back?" Shino asked, clutching the scroll tightly.

"No, it could fall into the wrong hands. It will be harder to get if it's in our heads."

Shortly after their induction into the task force, Shikamaru had requested that the hokage allow them special training under Morino Ibiki. She agreed and the younger jounin had asked the older man to prepare them to withstand all sorts of interrogation techniques. He knew that their missions would require them to handle top-secret information that some might kill for. Thus, they needed to train themselves to endure any sort of torture without divulging that information. The training lasted a month, and by the end of that time, the team was certain that nothing could make them talk. Morino Ibiki was one tough bastard after all.

"All right then. Let's do what we must. Tomorrow, we return home." Sakura said, and she couldn't help but smile.

The mission had gone without a hitch, and she couldn't believe their good fortune. No one suspected them and they had all the information they needed without having to dig far or to venture into dangerous territory. The rosette kunoichi began to wonder why her teacher had fussed so much over sending them on this mission when it was so simple.

Yet, Shikamaru had a nagging feeling that he just couldn't shake.

Yes, the mission had gone well. It had gone far better than he had dared to hope for. It seemed as though the Rock ninja didn't suspect anything about these four travelers who may have had too many questions for their own good.

Something just didn't feel right.

But what was it?

"Cheer up, Shikamaru." Sakura said perkily. "You're going to see her soon. Why the gloomy face?" She winked at him and laughed merrily.

'That's right.' Shikamaru thought silently. 'I'm going to see Ino again. And this time I'm going to tell her how I really feel.'

He smiled in return, thinking about all the things he wanted to tell her and all the things he wanted to do with her.

And all the bad feelings were forgotten.

The next morning, they packed up their meager belongings and after returning the keys to the innkeeper, the team set out immediately.

They were eager to return home and didn't even want to stop for breakfast. Even though they only stayed for two weeks, every second of those fourteen days felt like they were living on the edge of a knife. The slightest slip up and they would have been exposed. They had to be mindful of everything they did, lest they would reveal themselves as shinobi. Even when they were sleeping in the inn, Shikamaru insisted that they take turns to keep watch every night.

Now that the mission was over, they could finally breathe freely again.

They were walking along a well-trodden path in the forest in a single file with Shikamaru at the front and Neji at the back. It was now noon, and they had come quite a far distance. They were moving at a pace that was faster than necessary and though neither one of them said it, it was evident that they all wanted out of the Earth as soon as possible.

"We're going home." Shikamaru muttered as they walked in silence. Soon, he would be home with Ino.

Neji, Shino and Sakura didn't speak but those words echoed the very thoughts that were playing in their mind the entire journey thus far. They had been separated from their loved ones with the knowledge that their goodbyes might be the last in their mind. And the thought that you are walking towards death was frightening. But now, they were going home where everything will be safe and perfect. Nothing could spoil it now.

Nothing.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." An unfamiliar voice replied from above.

The four teammates jumped and each drew their weapons defensively, poised and ready for battle. Neji's eyes were already puffed up with chakra, the veins around them became more visible against his pale skin. Sakura was already putting her gloves on. The voice had taken them by surprise and they searched the trees wildly for the source of the sound. They looked up to see seven men standing in the lofty branches of the trees surrounding them. They wore gray vests and a shirt that was one sleeve less under their jackets. On each of their foreheads was a metal band held in place by a piece of cloth and on the steel plate was an insignia made famous during the ninja wars decades ago.

It was the symbol of the hidden village of Rock.

They had kept watch every night. Every night except the first.

And now Shikamaru knew they had to pay for their carelessness. _His _carelessness.

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Endnote: If anyone's wondering about the boiled eggs metaphor, you have to use your imagination. snicker 


	7. Truth

Author's note: Well, well. I'm sure most of you are thinking, "Finally, she updated!" Ah… gomen, gomen. I know I took really long with the next chapter especially after last chapter's cliffhanger. But hey, the next chapter is up so don't be too mad with me, okay: P

So please, enjoy this chappie and tell me what you think. Reviews and constructive criticism welcomed.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I can't even draw to save my life!

It was a beautiful sunny day in the Hidden Village of the Leaf and everyone was enjoying the warm weather. It was a welcomed respite from the rain that had pounded the village for the past week. Young children were running around, playing pretend as the adults strolled down the streets basking in the warmth of the sun.

Yes, everyone was enjoying themselves. Everyone except Ino.

Walking down a crowded street, the blonde could see people gesturing and whispering at her from out of the corner of her eye.

She sighed heavily.

Ever since that day, the Ino found that she couldn't go shopping or to eat ramen with Chouji without people staring at her and pointing blatantly in her direction.

A little boy walking down the street in her direction stopped to look up at her with wide brown eyes. He blinked wildly when his eyes fell on Ino's face, then a mischievous grin spread across his cherubic features as he recognized the woman before him. Tugging on his mother's skirt, he declared in a not so inconspicuous manner,

"Mummy, it's that lady!"

Immediately, the mortified woman had shushed her son and apologized profusely to an equally mortified Ino. Dragging him down the street, she twisted his ear rather painfully and berated him for being so rude. The little boy yelped in protest and this scene caused quite a few people to look in Ino's direction. If they hadn't been looking already.

Ino could feel her face burning with embarrassment and she was certain that if she had a mirror now, she could see that her cheeks were crimson. Picking up her pace, the young woman hurriedly made her way to the flower shop her family owned. Hopefully, no one else would recognize her.

'Dammit.' Ino cursed inwardly as she walked down the crowded street, her gaze on the ground. She couldn't hold her head up for she didn't want to look at other people carefully trying not to look at her.

And it was all because of a certain dark-haired jounin that she was in this current situation.

'Damn him, damn him, damn him!' Heaping curses on him, Ino shook her head in disdain as she recalled the incident that occurred two weeks ago.

Shikamaru was about to leave on a highly dangerous mission and he had asked her to come send him off. She was a little edgy when he refused to tell her the details of the task he had to undertake for this always meant that it was something too dangerous to discuss with her. However, she had to remind herself that Shikamaru was a master strategist and his IQ was unrivalled in the village, so he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Ino mentally berated herself for doubting him.

'What am I worried about? Besides, he's the number one at running away.' Ino had thought and she banished all worries from her mind.

But then Chouji had told her unsettling rumours on how missions such as these almost always meant that someone would not return home safely.

The same night, she couldn't sleep, haunted by dreams of the shadow master drenched in blood.

She had woken up in a cold sweat and her heart was racing. Clutching at her chest, Ino felt like someone was twisting a knife deep in her chest. That feeling always came when he wasn't by her side. Like that time when he was sent on an espionage mission in the Sound or when he came home injured from the expedition in the Sand.

Sleep was fitful, food was bland and thoughts were muddied when he was away.

But she hadn't gone to send him off. Hadn't seen him one last time. Just when he was going on a mission to end all missions. Ino had overslept due to the nightmares that plagued her but she had been certain that she had made it when she saw him standing by the gate. The jounin uniform, black ponytail and trademark lazy slouch.

It was a mistake.

It had been someone else, and she had collapsed in tears in front of _everyone_, clutching the necklace tightly to her chest.

Those words struck a chord deep within her core and after she had calmed down enough, she still wasn't entirely sure he had written it. It wasn't Shikamaru to be sensitive or to remember whatever she had said, nor was he the type to write beautiful poetry. But the letter proved otherwise.

Yet the words troubled her.

'I am yours. Now and forever.'

What had he meant by that?

Searching her mind, she couldn't find a believable reason behind his actions. When they had been talking under the willow tree in the field, she had been telling him about the things she wanted in life. And there was nothing more she wanted than to be loved by someone who could love her in return. Ino was certain she would find that man someday. After Neji and Sasuke though, that confidence had been shattered.

And Shikamaru was always that source of comfort.

He had listened carefully as she griped about not getting what she wanted and about losing what she had cherished. But Ino never told him when she and Neji ended their relationship or why they had done so. She just complained incessantly to him, not realizing that Shikamaru was completely entranced by her words and that he had committed every single one to memory. Such was his devotion to her.

Until today, Ino didn't know why she had reacted the way she did when she had read the letter. A small voice in the far recesses in her mind reminded her that there was only one man in the world that she had ever shed tears for. She wondered why.

She hadn't cried for Neji when he had left for the same mission as Shikamaru did, neither did she cry for Sasuke when he deserted the village.

Yamanaka Ino wasn't the type to cry. She was a tough, headstrong woman yet the only times the hard exterior crumbled to reveal the easily shattered interior was when Shikamaru was near.

The lithe woman sighed again.

'What have you done to me, you lazy bastard?'

Turning into a smaller street, the fair blonde hadn't been watching where she was going and promptly crashed into another woman. The impact had sent both women sprawling to the ground.

"Why don't you watch where you are going?" An annoyed voice declared.

Ino looked up to see a woman with large, warm brown eyes and her long hair were tied up in two buns that rested on both sides of her head.

"Ah! I'm so sorry Tenten."

Ino leapt up and immediately reached a hand out to help the weapons mistress on her feet and the other woman reached out gratefully.

"Ino? I didn't expect it to be you."

Her voice and face were softer now that she recognized Ino.

"I'm so sorry."

The blonde gave a sheepish laugh and reached to rub the back of her neck just like a certain someone always did when he was nervous. Anyone who knew Tenten would know that her perfect aim came from her observant eyes, and the ANBU didn't miss the flustered woman's behaviour. She smiled to herself.

"It's okay."

"Do you want to come by my flower shop for a cup of tea? It's the least I could do after knocking you over like that." Ino offered, still grinning in embarrassment.

Tilting her head in thought, Tenten brushed the dirt off her clothes.

"I guess that's okay. I have no where to rush to."

The two friends walked in silence towards the Yamanaka flower store. Motioning for Tenten to sit by the counter, Ino poured a cup of soothing tea for the other woman, who accepted it gratefully.

"So, how have you been Tenten?"

"I'm fine, been a little busy but things have been going well. What about you?"

Setting the cup down after taking a small sip, Tenten reached out to place a hand on Ino's.

"Me? I'm fine." Ino answered hastily and the burning feeling in her cheeks returned. Though she didn't know why.

'Maybe it's because you aren't?' The small voice was back. Ino imagined herself swatting it with her hands.

Tenten cocked an eyebrow.

"Really? But you seem a little distracted, Ino. It doesn't seem like you to walk around bumping into other people."

A mischievous smile played on her luscious lips. After all, Tenten was a very observant woman and no one could ever accuse her of being a ditz.

"Oh, I… I have been a little preoccupied lately." The blonde stammered.

"Preoccupied?" She queried, a look of interest on her face.

"Yeah." The blue-eyed woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"With what?"

Pressing on, Tenten narrowed her eyes as she carefully watched the other woman's nervous behaviour. It was very out of character for Ino to be as untalkative as she was today and the rumours that were abound served to help Tenten pinpoint what was troubling the blonde jounin.

"Erm… Some things."

Tenten threw her head back and laughed.

"I see. Something eh? Or is it someone! That lazy bastard must be quite something huh?"

"W… What? I think you have been mistaken, Tenten." Taken back by the other woman's response, Ino stumbled on her words.

She pushed herself away from the table and grabbed Tenten's still steaming cup, eager for an excuse to divert the conversation away from Shikamaru.

"Your cup's almost empty. I'll refill it!"

But as she strode towards the kettle in the other side of the room, Tenten reached out to grab her wrist firmly. Tugging Ino towards her chair again, the brunette leaned forward on her elbows to look Ino in the eyes. It was time to face the truth.

"Oh come on, Ino. Stop avoiding it. It's a well-known fact that you two have the hots for each other."

"But… I…"

"You guys just kept denying it, that's all. Though after that incident, I'm sure it's confirmed now. Admit it, Ino, you love Shikamaru."

"I… I… No, I don't!" She denied vehemently but it was to no avail.

"Please! Do you expect me to believe that? You have been avoiding it for years. Hinata and I used to watch you guys and we just couldn't understand what was taking you guys too long."

"No… that's not it. I have always seen him as a teammate."

"Exactly, Ino. You have always seen him as a teammate. And it scares you to think of him as something more, that's why you ignore all the messages he's been trying to send you. It scares you that if you love him, things won't be the same as before and that if things don't work out, you can't go back to the way things were then."

Ino stared at Tenten wide eyed, not knowing what to say.

'Scared? Me?' She thought bewilderedly, her brows furrowed with confusion.

The weapons mistress seemed to know what was on her mind.

"Yes, scared. He knows you best, am I right in saying that Ino? He knows almost everything about you except what's in your mind. That is the only thing you retain control of. Letting go means baring your soul to him and that makes you feel vulnerable. That's why you can't bring yourself to tell him. You are afraid to lose control because you're Yamanaka Ino."

Ino could only bite her lip as she realized that Tenten knew her innermost feelings better that she did. Were her feelings for Shikamaru obvious to everyone but her? Sadly, the young woman hung her head, not knowing what to say. Her long white blonde hair flowed forward to cover her face and Tenten saw tears glisten in her cornflower blue eyes.

The weapons mistress threw back her head and laughed again, but not unkindly. Shifting forward to place another comforting hand on Ino's, she smiled knowingly and drew the other woman into a hug.

"If you let fear hold you back, you'll lose him forever. He's already made the first step, Ino. Step out and meet him."

With that, Tenten released her hold on Ino and with a kind smile, walked out the door and disappeared into the crowd, leaving the blonde to ponder on her words.

"Shika…" She whispered hoarsely, the tears already running down her cheeks. "You better come home."

* * *

Sakura blasted a crater seven feet wide and two feet deep in the forest ground just as the seven men appeared and the gaping hole had caused some trees to sway. The men on the trees had leapt away to safety but one reacted too slowly and fell into the crater, his neck snapped in half by a falling branch.

"Hmm… You are indeed worthy to be called a student of the Godaime Hokage." The leader of the group had commented, shaking his head as he surveyed the broken body of his teammate.

Sakura's green eyes widened in disbelief.

The man laughed at her reaction, seemingly knowing what her shocked expression meant.

"You are probably wondering how we know." An evil grin spread across his face.

But Shikamaru already knew. He had thought of all the days they had spent observing the enemies' movements and couldn't remember a time that they had not been on full alert. Except one.

"The first night. You knew from the beginning that we were here and you let us continue on our mission to get more information on us." He replied with gritted teeth, anger consuming him, making his entire body tense.

The enemy threw his head back and laughed throatily.

"Ah, as expected of Konoha's brilliant young strategist, Nara Shikamaru. I shouldn't be surprised that you figured that out, after all your extraordinary intelligence is well known."

"What do you want with us?" Neji spat.

The Rock ninja turned his head slightly to regard the silver-eyed man, the deadly smile still on his face.

"And you must be the talented prodigy of the Hyuuga family, Neji-san. Your eyes, I must say are exemplary, to be able to observe our patrols from such a far distance. However, you should have used them then you would have been able to see us. It was a mistake on your part."

Neji frowned.

'No, it was a mistake on _my_ part.' Shikamaru reflected bitterly.

The longhaired man had wanted to activate his penetrative sight on the trip home but Shikamaru had told him to converse his chakra so they could return home faster. He had been so blinded to his desire to see Ino again that he made a decision that brought them face-to-face with seven enemies.

Again, the enemy shifted his weight and turned his scarred face again, only to face Shino this time.

"Aburame Shino, of the legendary Aburame clan. Your bugs are excellent, I almost missed them as they went around the Tsuchikage's office collecting information. Forgive me for I accidentally stepped on one."

The bespectacled man flinched at that and launched himself in the air, brandishing a kunai drawn from his holster. Though it may seem strange to some that such a calm man could get so heated just for an insect, but Shikamaru knew that the Aburame clan were very attached to their bugs. Each and every single one. Thus, Shikamaru didn't stop him. Though Shino's actions were rash, the shadow master knew they had no choice but to fight anyways.

Crouching down on the branch he was standing on, the leader jumped to meet Shino's attack in mid-air and metal clashed with metal.

Two of his teammates jumped at Neji, flinging scores of shurikens and kunais at his direction. Instinctively, the tall man dragged one foot on the ground in a circular motion, gaining momentum rapidly and spun his body, as a blue torrent of chakra was unleashed. The weapons halted its' journey for a split second as it connected with Neji's chakra and spun wildly back towards his attackers' direction.

But the two men were fast. In a flurry of hand seals, one had brought up a large amount of earth that shielded them as they landed safely on two feet.

"Kaiten eh?" One of them remarked. "Guess we underestimated you."

"But we won't make the same mistake again." Quipped the other as they rushed towards Neji.

One enemy leapt in front of Sakura, careful not to get too close to the deceptively weak looking kunoichi. Sakura could have sworn that the man was at least seven feet tall.

Suddenly, the huge man dropped to the ground on one knee and slammed one fist on the ground. Rocks the size of Sakura's head began to lift themselves off the forest ground and suspended themselves in mid-air. Her jaw dropped in disbelief.

The enemy chuckled.

"This is my ability, kunoichi." He taunted. "Surprised?"

Lifting his fist off the ground, he flung his arm in her direction and the floating rocks came speeding towards her direction.

Bending her knees slightly, the young woman jumped and dodged as the boulders came flying at her. She could have easily blasted them away with her fists but Sakura remembered that she might need her limited chakra to heal her teammates. One rock caught her on the shoulder and knocked her to the ground. Realizing that she needed to end this fast, the pink haired kunoichi leapt into a tree just as a boulder crashed into the ground where she had been just a moment ago. Her shoulder stung and though the impact hurt, there were no broken bones but a bad scrape. Landing on a tree branch, she jumped onto another tree, just as the enemy followed her with his eyes, all the while sending more earth at her. When she had manoeuvred him into position, she back flipped off the tree and with a swift movement, drove one foot into the trunk of the tree. Splintering in the middle at first, the thick trunk began to break as the impact and it's heavy weight brought it down.

The Rock ninja knew then what Sakura had been aiming for, but before he could leap away to safety, the tree came crashing down on him. The medic landed on her feet just in time to see the tall man crushed to the ground. She smirked. He might have been big and intimidating, but sadly lacking in intelligence.

"Sakura!"

She spun to see Shikamaru throw something towards her and she caught it deftly. The deer herder then turned to face the two enemies that were now closing in on him.

It was explosive talismans, two of them.

Focusing chakra to her feet, Sakura again leapt into the trees.

"Let's see what you can do, shadow master." One enemy growled.

Shikamaru grinned.

"Yes, let's."

A torrent of kunais flew at him, and the shadow master hands formed a hand seal only he knew. Immediately, a black wall rose from the ground and the weapons were embedded in it's inky darkness. Forming another hand seal, Shikamaru gritted his teeth in concentration as the black wall began to take the shape of a large hand. Pulling the kunais from itself, the shadow hand begun to fling the kunais back at Shikamaru's enemies. The two men avoided the airborne weapons effortlessly but did not realize that it was a decoy. As they sidestepped the kunais, their shadows had touched Shikamaru's and two more large hands emerged from the ground to crush the enemies.

They fell to the ground heavily, every bone in their body broken.

Shikamaru collapsed on his knees. The technique that he had created was indeed effective but it was also chakra consuming. Sweat began to bead on his forehead and the jounin knew that he had to finish what he started before he ran out.

A feminine voice called out.

"Shikamaru! It's done!"

And the owner of the voice began to run in the opposite direction.

Nodding, the jounin pulled out two more explosive talismans and put them on the ground in front of his sandaled feet. Two long, snake like shadows emerged from the ground, carrying the talismans high in the air and attached them to two different trees.

'Done.' He thought. Turning to see Neji and Shino still in the heat of battle, he too began to run in the opposite direction.

"Shino! Neji! Get out now!" He yelled.

The two men understood and leapt away quickly, leaving behind the three bewildered enemies.

Shikamaru looked behind to see Neji and Shino following behind him closely but they were still too far, and the talismans could not be detonated before the allotted time.

"Kekkai houjin?" The enemy leader wondered aloud.

Sensing danger, the three enemies began to run in the same direction as well.

And they were moving fast.

'Shit.' Shikamaru thought. 'At this rate, they will be out of the trap before the time is up.'

The jounin knew what would happen if they escaped and that wasn't an option they could live with.

'I screwed up and I'll take responsibility.' He thought adamantly.

Stopping in his tracks, he watched as Neji and Shino caught up with him. They looked at him quizzically.

"Go on! I'll catch up." He yelled.

Leaping off the trees just as his teammates passed him with confused looks on their faces, Shikamaru's hands were forming the hand seals before he even landed on the ground. Then suddenly, the three men stopped dead in their tracks, unable to move, unable to take a step forward.

Shikamaru grinned at them again.

"Kage mane no jutsu, success."

"You fool!" The enemy leader spat, the muscles in his jaw clenched as he tried to break free from Shikamaru's technique. But he knew it was a waste of time. "The talismans will explode soon. Let us go or you will die with us!"

"Yeah? So what?" Shrugging his shoulders, Shikamaru asked in mock nonchalance.

"You… You would kill yourself just so the information you acquired could return to Konoha?" He asked in pure disbelief. "You are a fool!"

"A fool, maybe. But a Konoha shinobi nonetheless." The smile disappeared and there was firmness in Shikamaru's usually lazy tone.

"I'm not dying so that the information can return home but I'm dying so that my teammates, my fellow Konoha shinobi and the innocent people of the Earth country won't have to die."

The three men blinked in disbelief. Their arms folded across their chest in forced mimicry of Shikamaru's posture.

"You would sacrifice yourself to save people you do not know?" The leader asked incredulously.

"Yes." Shikamaru answered with conviction. But then he hung his head and a look of sadness washed over his features.

"Besides, it was because of my carelessness that my team are faced with this situation. So why shouldn't I take responsibility for my actions? You Rock shinobi will never understand that."

"Shikamaru! Don't be an idiot! Come back here now!" Neji yelled, rushing forward towards his teammate. Shino and Sakura had also halted in their movement and turned back to aid their team leader.

"Don't move!" He yelled in return. And Neji paused, his silver eyes wide with incredulity. Then, the dark-eyed jounin turned and smiled as he said, "Good bye."

A loud boom rang throughout the forest as a great ball of fire tore through the trees, incinerating all in its path.

Neji, Shino and Sakura ducked behind trees, their arms covering their faces as they felt the hot flames and smoke rushing into their bodies. Broken twigs and small rocks lifted by the impact of the explosion flew through the air, pounding their bodies and leaving them with many a bruises.

When all had passed, they looked down to see four prone forms lying in the middle of the destruction.

"Shikamaru…" Sakura whispered.

* * *

Endnote: Whew! That was a long chapter and it was much longer than I intended it to be, so hopefully you enjoyed it. Ino's fear of seeing a close childhood friend as something more and losing a relationship she has had for years for something else was actually drawn from a personal experience. Part of the reason I wrote this story was because I felt I could relate to her.

Okay… I guess that wasn't really needed. blushes

1.) amwong88: This chapter is dedicated to you. Thanks for all the advice and on writing about Ino.

2.) Mini-chobi: About the noodles, where I come from, noodles are mostly pale yellow. I hope you get it now.


	8. In Between

Author's note: I didnt think the previous chapter would make everyone think that Shika was dead. Then I reread it and I realized "Wow... It did sound like he was dead!". But dont worry, our favorite lazy ass it still alive... For now. (insert evil laughter)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Shikamaru." 

'Who…?'

Shikamaru's mind struggled to make sense of his surroundings. The explosion had thrown him off his feet and he was faintly aware that some part of his body had hit solid ground but he couldn't be sure which part. He remembered the fight they had and thought that everything must be safe now that this sweet voice was calling out to him.

"Shikamaru. Open your eyes."

'I… I… cant.'

The young strategist began to panic, for try as he might, he just couldn't open his eyes. 'Calm down', he told himself, forcing those words into his fogged thoughts. 'Just calm down'. He knew there was no use in panicking and in times like these, he always told himself to remain calm. Just like when he had fought the Sound ninja and it seemed like he was most certainly going to die, he forced himself to keep calm.

Shikamaru could feel something repeatedly pounding his whole body lightly, sending cold trails of liquid down his skin. Rain. He was shivering but he couldn't be sure if the icy droplets on his body or the sharp pain in his torso were the cause.

"You're going to be okay."

The voice returned. Shikamaru recognized the feminine voice. He wanted to speak her name but he couldn't as his throat was parched by the flames. His lips were badly cracked and caked in dried blood, he licked them lightly and tasted metal. His was dimly aware of her hands on his chest and the familiar hum of her chakra flowing into him. They had been on missions together countless times and Shikamaru was injured in enough situations to be able to sense Sakura's chakra from a long distance away. It felt warm and soothing.

'Sakura… Help me.' He thought desperately.

But despite that, the pain grew worse and Shikamaru could feel it spreading its dreadful tendrils deeper into his chest till it seemed that the pain came from the very core of his battered body. His breaths were ragged and it was becoming increasingly difficult to draw air into his lungs. Still, he was grateful that he was somewhat protected from the explosion since he was standing near the edge of the trap. The enemies must have been charred beyond recognition.

Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation rising from behind his throat and he involuntarily gagged, struggling to expel the offending liquid but he couldn't. He choked, and his chest began to spasm, his lungs and brain crying out for oxygen. Shikamaru knew he was drowning in his own blood and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed. "He's choking!"

She halted the healing and took her hands off his prone form. Supporting his head with her arm, Sakura logrolled Shikamaru on his side with Neji's help. Shino was keeping watch on their surroundings for any lurking enemies, but he couldn't help taking his eyes off from his duties to cast a worried glance at his injured comrade. His broken glasses had been discarded. The enemy leader had hit him in the face, leaving him with an ugly bruise on his cheekbone. He was certain that he had pieces of shattered glass in his skin and blood was trickling into his eyes. Neji wasn't any better off. He had a deep, long gash on his right arm and the bandages that were wrapped around that arm hung in long tatters around him. His blood was dripping on the ground, mixing with the rainwater and the mud.

A gush of thick, crimson blood spilled from Shikamaru's nose and mouth, as the shadow master coughed violently. He choked again and more blood came, drenching the grassy ground and dying it a deep red. Sakura held him in that position until she was sure his lungs were empty of blood, but she also knew that it wasn't long before it filled up again. The explosion had badly broken his ribs and they had punctured his left lung. Every ragged breath he took forced frothy bubbles of blood through the gaping wound in his chest. The female medic winced as she caught a glimpse of the white bone protruding slightly out of his torn jacket.

"Sakura..." Shikamaru managed to croak out her name.

His throat almost exploded in pain and he struggled to swallow. He accidentally swallowed the rain that fell on his face but to his mild surprise, the moisture brought some relief to his scorched airway.

"Shh… Don't talk." She purred softly, her expert training taught her that soft, soothing voices were vital to keeping the patient still while they were being treated. Sakura ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair. The leather strap that held his unruly locks in a spiky ponytail had come loose during the fight. She stroked his cheek and continued to speak reassuring words to keep him comfortable.

Shikamaru felt her fingers on his skin and his confused mind brought an image of pale yellow and blue. The two shades of color melted and seemingly exploded into a rainbow of multicolor hues. It was beautiful and it was hard to believe that such an infinite and amazing display of color could take place in the darkness behind ones' closed eyelids. Just two simple colors coming together, blending, joining in blissful union and creating millions and millions of different shades. He struggled to get up, to reach out towards the myriad of color. But he was held down by firm yet gentle hands. Shikamaru painfully forced his eyes open.

"Ino…" He said weakly.

Sakura was taken aback but the brief moment of shock was replaced by a wave of sadness and the young woman had to smile at his words. Her good friend was the one thing on his mind at such time as this.

"Ino…" His voice was barely a whisper.

"Don't worry, Shikamaru. You'll see her again."

Sakura nodded firmly, a look of determination set on her beautiful face. She would certain of that, for she would do everything in her power to bring this man back to her best friend. Neji set the other man down on his back again and Sakura put her hands back on Shikamaru's bruised chest. She concentrated all her chakra on sealing the wound in his lung. She needed to work fast before the blood began to collect again or he would suffocate to death. Things did not look good for the young man at all.

Neji was at a loss. He had been appointed assistant team leader and though he was often touted as a genius himself, his strategic skills paled in comparison to Shikamaru's. They were still in Earth country territory but the border of their own country was near. He thought that once Sakura had Shikamaru's condition stabilized, they could then begin to continue on their journey home. Yet now he was uncertain if her abilities and training was sufficient. Could she heal his injuries well enough for him to survive the trip home? Neji didn't like doubting his own teammates' capabilities but even Sakura's worried look told him that even she wasn't sure if her medical skills could match up to the extent of damage Shikamaru suffered. She wasn't sure if he could move at all.

Even though the enemies had all been defeated, Neji was sure that others would become suspicious if they did not return and would sent out more ninjas to look for them. If traveling through enemy territory with ninjas hot on your trail was bad, having to care for a fallen comrade while doing so made it much worse. It would make them easier to track down because of the blood, easier to capture because they had to protect one of their own and they knew that both outcomes were unavailable to them. The information that they had in their knowledge made them dangerous to Takeshi, and he would stop at nothing to have them eliminated. Shino knew the thoughts that were running through Neji's mind for he felt the same too. Things would be less complicated if they were to leave Shikamaru behind but they were Konoha shinobi. And that wasn't up for discussion either.

Shikamaru opened his eyes again and turned his head slightly to face Neji. He reached out to his teammate and the silver eyed man held his hand out to grasp Shikamaru's outstretched one.

"Neji…" His voice was barely audible.

"Don't speak, y- "

Neji was about to silence the severely injured man when Shikamaru cut him off.

"Get back to Konoha." His words were strained but Neji didn't miss the firmness in them. "Get back."

"We will when Sakura…"

"There is no time." Shikamaru gasped. He remembered the promise he made to himself, he would never again fail to complete a mission. He had kept that promise until today and he wasn't about to break it. He wasn't about to let his sacrifice go to waste.

He gripped Neji's fingers tighter as if willing him to understand that at least one of them _must_ return to Konoha at all costs.

"No time." He repeated.

But the longhaired man already knew that. He just couldn't bear to leave his teammate. Not like this, not ever. Still, he grew up learning that shinobis were tools and that they were there to serve a purpose higher than their own. Neji had never felt more torn in his life than in this fleeting moment of deciding whether to abandon Shikamaru to his death or to cause his village to fall into times of conflict and war.

'Is this what it really means to be a shinobi?' Neji wondered.

To be lifeless tools, to be used in whatever ways as long as we can say that we did as we were told? To be soulless vessels of accomplishing the dreams of others while ours remain forsaken and forgotten? To forget the friends we grew up with, the days of old in which we shared in laughter because we must do as we are ordered?

Is this what it means?

No.

It isn't.

If this is the fate of all shinobi, then you'll just have to make your own fate.

And Neji squeezed Shikamaru's hand in return. He looked into the other man's already glazed eyes and somehow without words, assured him that their duties will be carried out to its very bitter end.

Neji stood and looked in Shino's direction.

Shino knew what was coming.

"Neji, you can't expect-" He knew what Neji and Shikamaru wanted of him.

"Shino, you'll have to." Neji's voice was low but firm. Sakura looked up at him, her hands still on Shikamaru's chest, and she saw that Neji had a look on his face that seemed to defy description. Yet, even if she couldn't put what she saw into words, she knew what he was thinking.

"I can't." The dark man shook his head vehemently. "I can't do it."

"You have to."

"I won't! I will not be a traitor!" Shino yelled, his usually soft voice ringing out loud in the dim forest. His dark eyes were flashing with anger.

He could not believe what Neji was asking of him and that rage burned deep within him. How could he even _think_ of it? Neji was asking him to leave his teammates to face the enemies alone. Asking him to desert the people that he had served with, the people that had saved his lives countless times. How could he do such a thing?

If Neji was surprised by Shino's sudden, out of character outburst, he didn't show it.

"You will be a traitor if you do not go back!" He yelled in return. "They need the information! You know that!"

He knew that.

"I could stay behind then. And you can go back." Shino countered.

"No." Neji replied. "You can move the fastest without being detected. You are best suited for this."

Shino knew that too.

"B… But…" He stuttered. And that torn feeling that all shinobi faced in hopeless situations such as these surfaced in his heart.

The success of the mission? Or the lives of his friends?

Neji understood what was playing on the other man's mind. He knew that feeling all to well himself.

"Despite what people might say, we shinobi make our own decisions. We are not mere tools." He spoke. His voice was softer now, warmer. He raised his gaze to meet Shino's uncovered eyes. Neji saw a wave of guilt in those dark orbs.

"What was your decision when you took on this mission, Shino?" Neji asked.

Shino was silent and he dropped his gaze to the ground, the rain dripped from his thick hair onto his feet.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

What _was_ his decision?

"To serve Konoha." He looked up to look Neji into the eyes again. And the Hyuuga saw that the guilt that he saw a moment before had been replaced with a determined look. A smile spread across his face and the tall man nodded in acknowledgement and understanding.

"So was mine. But we will serve our country in different ways." Neji replied. "You will serve it by returning home, and I will serve it by protecting my teammates."

"I…" Shino hesitated.

Neji was an excellent ninja, and there was no doubting his extraordinary talent and his superb skills. But what chance does a lone shinobi have against a whole group of bloodthirsty murderers?

"Please… Shino…" Shikamaru whispered tiredly.

Shino didn't move.

However, Neji's mind was set and Shino also knew that there was no sense in trying to change that.

"Go. I'll watch over Sakura and Shikamaru."

Shino nodded and with a rueful backward glance, he leapt high into the trees, rapidly making his way towards the hidden village of Konoha. Soon, he had gone so far that he had even disappeared out of Neji's telescopic sight.

"Good luck, Shino" Neji whispered.

Shikamaru's eyelids closed over his dark orbs again and he was mumbling incoherently. The immense pain and loss of blood was clouding his mind. He couldn't get an anchor to his thoughts and it was a strange, foreign feeling. Sakura was oblivious to his murmuring as she focused all her on energy on stitching his cells back together but Neji heard his vague words.

"What is it, Shikamaru?"

He leaned closer to the man on the cold ground, putting his ear to his teammate's mouth, all the while being careful not to disturb the rosette haired medic's work.

"What do you want to say?"

He waited patiently for Shikamaru to speak again, but only heard the other man's labored breathing and the faint gurgling coming from within his chest.

"Shikamaru?" Neji strained to pick up any words that may have escaped the deer herder's lips together with his painful moans.

"Ino…" Whispered Shikamaru.

"I… I am yours." His tired voice was fading, but Neji could still hear clearly what he said.

"Now and forever…"

Neji blinked.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and slowly began to slip into unconsciousness. Then, he began to convulse again. His lean body became rigid and the muscles in his broken body tightened.

"Shit!" Sakura spat. In that short moment she was distracted, Shikamaru had grown worse. She increased her chakra flow into his torso.

"Stay with me! Stay with me!" She shouted, willing Shikamaru to follow her commands.

Shikamaru coughed up more blood than before and his lips had gone blue from the oxygen deprivation. His hands gripped the grass around his fingers tightly for a moment, as he struggled just to breathe, to draw in sweet air to nourish his starved lungs but no comfort from that feeling came. His thoughts spun crazily and again there was an urge to hurl everything that was rising in his throat. But before Sakura could do anything, the young man's body had gone limp, the tightness in his muscles a short moment before had disappeared.

"Damn! His heart has stopped beating!" Sakura yelled and Neji's silver eyes widened in anxiety and horror. The slim woman raised herself up to rest on her knees and pushed down on his chest hard. She didn't care whether she pushed his broken ribs further out of place, she needed to get his heart pumping again. She timed the repeated pressure applied to his heart to a steady rhythm but it didn't seem to work.

"Come on! Come on!" She pleaded, the tone in her voice was desperate and nearly hysterical. "Don't give up on me, you lazy bastard!"

"COME ON!"

Sakura's eyes began to well with tears.

She had lost men on missions before but she hadn't been very close to them. Their deaths had hurt, especially since she couldn't save them despite her expertise and extensive training, but she learned to move on because she wasn't attached to them. Shikamaru was different, he was her friend, her teammate, her companion, her confidante. Loss was so much more difficult to face when the person you lose has a big place in your heart. She couldn't bear the thought of him dying and for a fleeting moment, she pictured herself by his tombstone consoling a devastated Ino. Sakura shook her head hard to get that image out of her mind but warm tears had already made their way down her scratched cheeks.

Shikamaru was aware that someone was yelling and that someone had her hands on him, but all sensation in his body was slowly disappearing. He was no longer looking into Sakura's green eyes, no longer hearing her voice or the sound of raindrops on the ground, no longer tasting the metallic liquid in his mouth and no longer feeling the grass on his hands and neck. The pain remained but he was floating, floating further and further away from all that held him to this world, and he yearned to be free of that pain. The sweet feeling of nothingness, of abandoned darkness was slowly enveloping him and he wanted to let go and just to cease being.

_A splash of yellow._

_A flash of blue_.

And as the swirling colors in his mind began to take shape, the last thing he saw was her smile.

* * *

Endnote: Ah... This chapter was hard to write because there isn't much action or any detailed ShikaIno. It's more of a transitional chapter and I didnt think the storyline would be smooth if I left this chapter out and just continued with the next. I'm sorry if you got bored... But please try to enjoy it anyways and review. Please? I'll give you cookies... P.S. The end is SOON. 

1.) Graviola: Thanks! The fight scene took me a while to write because I wanted to think up of new jutsus for Shika instead of the usual ones.


	9. Sweet Sorrow

Author's note: Well, I know this chapter is a long time in coming, and I sincerely apologize for that. I have been very busy and I didn't want to produce slipshod work, especially for this last chapter. This is the longest chapter ever for this story and I hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Too bad. : (

* * *

The wind was chilly. Ino shivered as she felt its cold fingers caress her smooth cheek. Her pale blonde hair blew around her face and neck, but she made no move to brush them away or to adjust her loose ponytail. No more than a while ago, the beautiful woman would have made such a big fuss over her appearance and would have been livid if her usually neat hair was even one lock out of place. Now, it didn't seem important anymore. Everything that had happened to her and to the village recently, seemed to skewer her shallow perspective on life. 

Walking down the well-trodden path to the training area, she clutched at the bouquet of flowers in her embrace even tighter. The wind was growing even stronger and the howling almost drowned out the soft footsteps of the heavier man walking behind her. Stopping in her tracks, Ino looked up to see that the sky was becoming dark and gloomy. Rain clouds rolled along the blue expanse, turning it black as they swallowed the sun's golden rays. The ominous sounds of thunder rang through the forest and the occasional flash of lightning could be seen in the horizon.

"Ino." A deep voice called out. "Maybe we should head back. I'm sure he wouldn't mind for just one day."

"No." She replied. "I promised him I would and I will."

Setting her jaw, the blonde nodded adamantly, as if trying to convince herself that her effort would be appreciated by someone.

'Yes, it will.' She thought.

The man sighed wearily. He knew Ino long enough to know that arguing with her when she had her mind set was useless. Dragging his feet along the dusty path, he followed a little too reluctantly.

Ino continued to trudge along. Droplets from the sky had already begun to fall, and she shivered again as a single bead of cool liquid found its way down her back. It seemed to kiss her spine, slowly and seductively, teasing her to no end. She bit on her lip remembering the dreams she had of him.

The young woman prayed that the slight drizzle wouldn't turn into a full-fledged downpour. She heaved a sigh in relief when she arrived at her destination a little damp but at least still somewhat dry too. Stepping out of the dark forest into the clearing, she spotted the familiar three logs that the jounin senseis used for training and the unmistakeable carved stone, laid on a white, fragmented marble foundation. A long flagpole stood behind it, the cloth at its peak bearing the emblem of their village whipping wildly in the wind.

As Ino made her way to the memorial rock, the man watched her warily. For the past two weeks, the slim blonde had come here dutifully. Come rain or shine, she would turn up at the stone everyday to place a bouquet of flowers at the base in remembrance of a fallen Konoha soldier. She would place the new, fresh flowers at the base and remove the old ones, bringing them home to press and preserve.

"They are beautiful." She had said. "It would be a waste just to throw them away."

"Hi," She spoke in small, soft voice. "We meet again." Giggling a little over the prospect that she was talking to a lifeless rock, she traced her fingers over his name carefully, wiping away the minute amount of water that had collected in its crevices. The out of place playful mood soon disappeared and a wave of sadness spread across her soft features.

Leaning her head against the cool rock, Ino pressed one small hand on her heart where the all too familiar ache had returned. Tears began to well in her cerulean eyes as the events that had brought her here today flashed through her mind. She tried to press them down into the back of her consciousness but it proved stronger than her will. It was truly ironic; for the one who specializes in manipulating the minds of others was not able to control her own thoughts. The young woman had thought that she could handle the grief but it was still too painful. And though she promised herself that she would be strong for him, the memories that were burned into her soul threatened to push her over a dangerous edge.

"Oh… Shikamaru…."

And his name slipped from her lips. Painfully. Like the shattering of a delicate glass figurine whose beauty was destroyed in such a shameful way, reduced to a pile of nothingness.

* * *

_Two weeks ago._

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was a sudden bustle about the Hokage's office. Frantic footsteps echoed throughout the usually silent hallways. Shinobis of all ages and ranks ran in and out of their leader's office, each bearing reports with different words but with the same message – the village of Hidden Rock was in an uproar. And it was all due to a quartet of foreign ninja who had allegedly spied on the Earth country and eradicated a seven-man squad consisting entirely of jounins that were sent to pursue them.

It was alleged that these four intruders were from the hidden village of the Leaf.

Tsunade drummed her manicured fingers on the table uneasily as she listened to the eighth shinobi to tell her about the news today.

The busty woman sighed in annoyance. There were too many things for her to do and she couldn't waste her time listening to news that had already passed her ears several times.

Waving her hand to dismiss the chuunin standing in her office, she called for Shizune.

The petite brunette seemed to anticipate her master's need and was already by her side before her name had fully escaped Tsunade's cherry red lips.

"Shizune, I want you to summon the village council and all the messengers you can find. Let no one else see me unless that person brings fresh news. Understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

With a flash, the medic was gone, hurrying to get her master's orders carried out.

Leaning her elbows onto the table, Tsunade held her head in her hands as she recounted the events of the morning.

An ANBU team performing their routine scout along the borders of the Leaf and Earth had heard an earth-shattering explosion. Treading as far as they dared into the other country's border without being detected, they could see the destruction well enough to discern that there had been a fierce fight in the area. However, they couldn't get close enough to determine who were involved and how many casualties there were.

Rushing back as fast as they could, the team leader had frantically reported the news to Tsunade, who became equally frantic for the sakes of her underlings.

And soon, angry messages and threats of war were making their way back and forth between the Rock and the Leaf villages.

The hokage sighed again.

'Where are they?'

* * *

Naruto had just gotten the news and was hurrying to Tsunade's office when he caught sight of a haggard figure about to reach the gates. Stopping in his tracks, the young man frowned as he watched this strange man stumble along the path. His high collared shirt obscured half his face while the other half was covered in blood. There were splotches of crimson all over his torn shirt. 

Bewildered at the sight before him, Naruto rushed towards the man as the guards by the gate closed in on him. Soon, realization dawned on him and he yelled to the sentries approaching the injured man, their weapons drawn and their posture ready for battle.

"Stop! Don't harm him!"

The guards spun around in confusion, not knowing what to make of the situation unfolding before them. But when they saw that the one who spoke was the next in line to the title of the hokage, they obeyed and lowered their arms.

The dark haired man dropped to his knees and looked up at blonde man, relief washing over his face. He swayed and looked as though he couldn't retain consciousness for long.

Naruto caught him deftly before he hit the ground.

"Shino!"

"Naruto…" He rasped weakly. "Take… Take me to Tsunade-sama."

Within minutes, the man had been bundled into a hospital room where he hurriedly but painfully told the Hokage all he knew as the medics worked to heal him.

"Shit." Tsunade spat. "They're still out there."

Spinning around on her heels, Tsunade stormed out of the room that housed the wounded insect user and called for Naruto to follow her.

"Listen to me, Naruto. I want you to find Kakashi and have him look for Shikamaru and the rest. He's best suited for tracking and have him choose three others to go with him."

The whiskered blonde nodded, his face rapt with attention. He had heard of Shikamaru's mission shortly after he returned from his own and of how dangerous it was. He knitted his brow with worry.

'What is going to happen now that the information we've been waiting for is here?'

He did not have to dwell on the thought for long as Tsunade answered the question that was playing in his mind.

"Then, I want you to lead two teams of ANBU to the location that Shino reported as his hideout. When you've found him, send back a bird and I'll dispatch all of our available forces to attack the hidden Rock."

Naruto stopped in his tracks and blinked bewilderedly. Tsunade walked a good length before she realized the young man was following her anymore.

"What? Attack the Hidden Rock?" He declared incredulously.

The jounin knew that things between the two countries had deteriorated and that threats of action in these tense times were common. But to declare war? That was on an entirely different scale.

"But granny Tsunade, is war really necessary? I mean, we just regained our former strength after that bastard killed the Third. And now-"

Tsunade turned to look him in the eyes, and he saw fire and anger and something else he couldn't quite put into words in her gaze.

"War is upon us whether we like it or not. And I'd like us to be the first to make a move. I'm going to make that impostor of a kage regret that he ever crossed us."

Naruto's eyes widened at her strong words and he grinned impishly, obviously delighted at the implications of them.

"Looks like the old granny hasn't gotten soft in her old age."

And with a small wave of his hand, the jounin leapt away to undertake his duties.

* * *

Kakashi responded to the orders with amazing speed. Within five minutes, he had his team assembled and they sped towards the Earth country to attempt to save their comrades. 

Not long after that, Naruto and his team had left as well, moving at an even faster speed to reach the deposed Tsuchikage before Takeshi found him.

The academy had been ordered to shut down and all available shinobi were ordered to prepare for battle. Ino had immediately jumped to report for duty but was intercepted by Tsunade as Genma was about to place her in a team. The older woman had told Ino that her talents were needed at home and soon the younger woman was helping to coordinate all the shinobis into attack squads based on their field experience and abilities. It wasn't before long that they were well organized and ready for battle.

Still, she couldn't shake the impression that Tsunade's explanation lacked credibility.

There were many others who possessed strategic abilities superior to hers. Furthermore in a war such as these, her mind manipulation techniques were vital to obtaining information. It was clear to Ino that she should be out there, yet the hokage wanted her here.

'Why's that?'

But with the frantic exchange of orders and hurried frenzy of battle preparations, all of Ino's worries had been forgotten as she rushed to perform her duties. The hustle and bustle kept her mind distracted from all that had been plaguing her thoughts in the past few days.

When everything had settled and all that was left was to wait for a small bird in the horizon, Ino's mind drifted back to a certain dark haired man.

She had vaguely remembered hearing about Shino's return without Shikamaru and of Kakashi's mission though she had been too preoccupied to fully register those words in her mind.

Now, it had come back to hit her full force.

The fact that her best friend and ex lover were still missing and were possibly dead haunted her. But the fact that Shikamaru was probably worse off made her world spiral out of control.

And she wasn't even sure who he was to her yet.

Leaning her head back against the wall and propping her feet on the table in front of her, Ino bit on her lip to stem the flow of tears that were threatening to spill from her cerulean eyes. Kakashi had left more than 16 hours ago, but there was no news yet.

Nothing to indicate if Shikamaru was dead. Or alive. No news at all.

Ino wasn't sure which was the lesser of two evils.

Knowing whether that he was dead. Or not knowing at all.

The petite blonde heard vague shouting in the distance and knew that the long awaited signal was finally here. Peering out of her office window, she watched in sorrow filled silence as the hundreds of Leaf shinobi began their march to the Rock. Watching their faces, some familiar and others not, Ino wondered if she would ever see any of them again. Some of them looked so young, so innocent. Their lives as of yet untouched by the ravages of war, and now they would understand the horrors of destinies such as theirs.

'War.' She thought. 'Where does it all bring us?'

'I think I understand you better now, Shika. I understand why _you_ always work so hard to get through the back door. It's so _others_ don't have to go through the front.'

Ino cried herself to sleep as the moon rose high into the sky.

* * *

She woke up with a start when a genin burst into her office yelling at the top of his lungs. 

"Ino-san!"

"Ino-san!"

"What is it, Kai?" She asked sleepily while stretching to ease the ache and stiffness in her body.

"Kakashi-san has returned!"

It took Ino's sleep clouded mind a full minute before the boy's words settled in, and when it did, the young woman was on her feet. Running as fast as she could, she dashed off before she realized that she didn't even know where they were.

But she didn't have to.

As she half skidded into a long corridor, she saw Kakashi on the other end. With him stood three other shinobi she didn't recognize. Further behind them was an unmistakeable woman with shocking pink hair and an equally distinctive man with pure silver eyes. Both of them looked weary and were bloodied, but undeniably very much alive.

"Sakura! Neji!"

Ino dashed to the rosette woman's side and enveloped her into a tight hug, and both women burst into tears as relief flooded them.

"Sakura," Ino sobbed. "I'm so glad to see you."

But Sakura remained silent and held her friend closer; her own sobs beginning to crescendo.

"Ino, I… I'm sorry." She choked. "I tried, I swear I tried."

The blonde held her childhood friend as an arm's distance, staring uncomprehendingly in her friend's teary green eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"I couldn't help him, Ino. I couldn't."

That's when Ino knew what the medic was talking about. And the air around became thick and suffocating, it choked her and her thoughts spun wildly out of control, threatening to send her over the edge.

"Where…" She stumbled on her words. "Where is he now?"

Sakura looked away, sadness washing over her pretty face. Lifting a bandaged arm, she pointed at a room down the corridor.

Pushing her way past Neji, the mind manipulator ran towards the room but when she got there, Ino couldn't bring herself to open the door. Trembling fingers reached out towards the doorknob but she found that she couldn't curl them around the metal to open the door. Bringing her other hand to clasp the hand already on the knob, she took a few shuddering breaths before swinging the door open in one quick motion.

She would never ever forget the sight that greeted her till the day she died.

There was a bed in the middle of the room and on it lay a limp and unmoving figure. Scores of white clad medics were clustered around the bed, running back and forth with scrolls, bandages and tubes of various kinds. The ghost white bed sheet was stained red, and small pools of blood had begun to form on the porcelain tiles. It flowed through the cracks, creating small rivers of crimson.

Blood that she knew was his.

Tsunade and Shizune stood at each ends of the bed, arms outstretched towards the figure, green chakra delving into the lifeless form.

Amidst the bustle, a medic noticed the woman and turned to usher Ino out of the room.

"You can't be in here. You have to leave."

But tired as she was, Ino resisted the man with surprising strength. Pushing her smaller frame against his taller one, she struggled to get past him.

"I need to see him! Please, I need to!" She shrieked. "Shika!"

The man immediately realized that this man was someone to this woman and turned to the hokage with a questioning look on his face, as if asking if he should let her pass. The busty woman nodded without a word.

Ino flung past him and moved to stand by the side of the bed, careful not to get in the way of the two women treating him. Her whole body began to shake as each step brought her closer and closer to the battered man. Tears sprang to her cornflower blues eyes again as she caught sight of him.

Shikamaru's eyes were closed to the world, his skin pale where it wasn't spotted with blood, dirt or bruises. A gash ran from the arch of his left eyebrow all the way to the bottom of his ear. His slowly rising chest was bare and covered in ugly blue-green marks. Ino could see the white bone poking through a wound on his left side, blood still seeping. She choked on the sight, and clapped her hands over her mouth in order to prevent a cry of horror. Tears poured down her ashen cheeks. She wanted to ask Tsunade if he would make it but her mouth wouldn't move, her throat refusing to open.

But the fifth hokage seemed to know what she was thinking.

"His wounds are very serious. He's lost too much blood and he might not wake up ever because of brain damage. There's a high possibility he won't even make it."

There was a tinge of sadness that colored her words and Shizune looked to her master with a look that mirrored her sorrow.

Ino choked back a cry of anguish again.

"There's nothing you can do here, Ino. Go get some rest. I'll send someone for you if his condition changes." The deceptively beautiful woman spoke again, her words firm.

Ino nodded slowly, her eyes still fixed on him, her hands still over her mouth. Even though she didn't want to leave his side, even though she wanted to hold him, she found that she couldn't bear seeing him like this. Blood soaked and broken. Pale and terribly wounded. It tore at her heart and soul to see him like this, and the strong façade she maintained shattered into pieces. Her heart felt like it was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces and there was a sense of growing grief that was forming in the pit of her belly.

Stretching out a shaking hand to brush his sweat-damped hair, Ino leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. His skin cold and devoid of all the warmth she always felt radiated from him, and she couldn't help but shudder.

Spinning around quickly, she broke out into a sprint, as if she couldn't bear to be in the room any longer. As if everything in that space offended her. Her vision was blurry with the tears and she could barely make out the silver doors against the white walls. Nearly tripping over her own feet, she bit on her lip so hard she tasted metal.

'Shika…'

'Shika…'

"Ino! Wait!"

Ino stopped in her tracks as Tsunade called for her. Rooted to the spot, she felt her heart beating wildly till it seemed that it was going to jump out of her chest. Turning around slowly, she kept her gaze on the floor, not daring to look up, fearing the reason Tsunade called her.

"Look."

Breathing hard, she summoned her fading courage and forced her gaze upwards. Ino saw a bloodied arm reaching out weakly for her. Looking up at Shikamaru's face, she saw that his eyes were half open, the ebony orbs glazed with pain and loss of blood fixed on her.

She blinked in bewilderment. Her still trembling hands twisted nervously in the fabric of her shirt.

His arm was still reaching out to her, bloody fingers moving feebly in an attempt to signal her to him. She saw that his mouth was moving, trying to form words but no sound came. Shikamaru grunted in frustration, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't find his voice.

Shizune reached out and laid an small hand on his throat, green chakra spilling into the damaged airway. Soon, the pain and parched feeling was gone.

"You… You aren't wearing the necklace I got you." Shikamaru whispered in a small, tired voice.

Shizune had to strain just to hear what the shadow master said but Ino heard every word clearly.

A shaky smile broke out on her pale face and her lower lip quivered with unbridled joy. The tears came again and it spilled down her cheeks, rivulets flowing into her mouth. But this time, it didn't taste bad.

"I'm waiting for you to put it on for me, you lazy bastard." She sobbed.

Shikamaru grinned weakly. Ino stepped closer to hold his hand gently in hers, careful not to jostle the broken fingers and torn nails. But the young man held her small hand in a tight, unwavering grip, not caring about the pain that coursed through his arm. All that mattered was her.

And as Tsunade watched the two, she knew that Shikamaru was going to make it.

'Looks like I know now why we fight wars, Sarutobi sensei.'

And she couldn't help but smile at the pair, their hands and their hearts locked.

* * *

"_Ino?"_

"_Kakashi sensei? What can I do for you?"_

"_Well, I don't want to bother you especially since I'm sure you have more important things to do, but there's no one else I can ask-"_

"_What is it? I'll do anything I can to help."_

"_Well, I'm going off to the Earth country for a mission tomorrow. We need to help the Rock secure their village now that the rebel Tsuchikage has been defeated and I'll be there for quite a while. I was wondering if you would do me a favor."_

"_Sure."_

"_Would you visit the memorial stone once in a while for me? You know, just to keep him company. I know it's silly, but-"_

"_Obito-san?"_

"_Yes. _

"_Of course! It's not silly. I'll go everyday and bring some flowers from our shop as well."_

"_You don't have to go to so much trouble, I-"_

"_Oh, it's no trouble, sensei. Anything for you!"_

"_Anything for me just because I brought home your boyfriend? Doesn't anyone love me for me?"_

"_Kakashi sensei! Don't talk like that! I'm really grateful that you brought Shika home to me- I mean, you brought him home. It's not like there's anything between us, you know? But he's my teammate- ok, maybe more than just a teammate -"_

"_Whoa, I was just joking, Ino. You don't have to explain anything to me. But thank you for the kind gesture. "_

"_No sensei, thank **you**."_

_

* * *

_

"Oh… Shikamaru…"

"Shhh…" A deep, warm voice whispered in her ear. "I'm here."

He had been standing quite a distance behind her but somehow at her voice, he had made his way immediately to her side. Cradling her slim frame in his lean arms, he guided her head to his broad shoulders, stroking her soft hair with all the gentleness he could muster.

"I'm here. Why are you crying?" He asked in a soothing voice, his fingers still playing in her white blonde hair.

"I… I… still dream of that day…" She began in a broken voice, burying her head in his strong chest, her hands fisting in the material of his shirt.

"All that blood. Your b - blood." She choked on the word, as though she couldn't bear to feel the offending word on her tongue, couldn't bear to equate it with _him_. He could feel the warm liquid seeping through his shirt. Warm tears were falling from her eyes, fast and furious.

"I… I was so afraid that you were dead and that the only thing I would have left of you is your name on this rock. Just like all Kakashi has of Obito-san."

More tears slid down her cheeks. More choked sobs. And she held him tighter.

Sighing, he grasped her chin with two fingers and tilted her head upwards to face him. Wet, blue eyes looked at the lopsided grin plastered on his face in confusion.

"Kakashi really made you do a troublesome thing, you know? Everyday you come here it's the same. You look at the memorial, then you remember that day and you cry." He scolded her playfully, fingers slowly tracing down her hair onto the smooth crease in her neck.

Ino frowned at his words and turned her face away from his, a blush already beginning to form on her cheeks and a pout on her lips. He had been the only one to see her cry, she knew that, yet she still hated that she would show weakness in front of him. The tears on her face hadn't even begun to dry yet and she had already forgotten the reason behind them. She gave an annoyed hiccough in protest.

"Well, he brought you home, you know." She huffed. "He carried you all the way home, trying not to make you worse off than you already were and all the while avoiding those Rock shinobi. You should be more grateful that he bothered to bring you back alive. And you should be more grateful that I would cry for you."

At that, the blonde gave a small 'hmph', muttering under her breath, "So there."

He grinned again. Leaning down to bring his face closer to hers, he kissed her right eye and his lips slowly made their way down the path the tears had left on her beautiful face. Ino shivered and her hands left his shirt to wrap around his neck, shaking fingers tracing the nape of his ebony hair. He looked at her again and flashed a crooked smile before moving to do the same to her left eye and cheek.

"Ino," He murmured against her skin, his lips tracing patterns on her face. "I don't ever want to see you cry again."

Ino let out a small whimper at his voice, shivers were running up and down her spine.

"You promised me that you would stop thinking about that day, remember?" He chided her gently, as though he was talking to a child. The emotions in his voice ran thick in the air and Ino felt the same sensations running through her soul.

"You promised me that you would be strong for me, remember?" He asked again.

She did remember. After Shikamaru's condition had improved, Tsunade had allowed Ino to see him.

He was the first to make a move, confessing his truest feelings for her and with much tears and false starts, she finally did the same. Then she had climbed into his hospital bed and laying her head gently on his shoulder, they spent the whole night in each other's arms. Every medic who saw the pair holding each other tightly, their faces basked in peaceful slumber, couldn't help but sigh in envy at their devotion for one another.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she replied in a husky voice.

"I remember."

And now it was his turn to feel electricity coursing through his body.

Pulling her deeper into his embrace, he pressed his lips against the skin on her neck, enjoying the feel of her racing pulse on his mouth. His muscular hands moved to the small of her back, and pulled her hard against his body. But no matter what, it seemed that he couldn't get close enough to her. He wanted to get closer to her, as close as he possibly could. But even her body pressed flushed against his own, something was still missing and a small nugget of frustration began to form in the pit of his stomach. He yearned for more; he needed more.

Ino understood his frustration. Pressing her hand against the left side of his chest, she could feel his heart beating even through the cloth and bandages. And she moved to press her lips against the warm, throbbing core of him.

Instantly, he understood what she was trying to tell him through unspoken words. Their pulses, their heartbeats were one. Their souls were intertwined.

And this was as close as you could get.

The young man smiled against her neck.

"I love you, Ino." He whispered.

"I am yours. Now and forever."

And the words that had been whispered in his sleep, in his daydreams under the clouds and even when he was slipping into the dark realm of death were finally spoken to her. To the one whom it was always meant for. To the one who needed to hear it most.

And all she could do was to hold him closer and make a promise to the gods that the third time was all she needed.

* * *

Endnote: Wow, it's been a long ride and I wanna thank you guys out there who have been very supportive of this story. I really appreciate your advice, suggestions and encouragement. Arigatou! This story has become quite special to me and I would really appreciate it if you told me how you found it as a whole, if there were any parts you didn't like or any parts that needs to be corrected. I would like to grow as an author. Furthermore, I have thought of a sequel, so please tell me your thoughts on that. 

Thank yous:

1.) amwong88: for always giving me sound advice and for being an inspiration. You rock!

2.) mini chobi: for all your positive words. They make me feel so gratified after every chapter.

3.) graviola: thanks for the compliment. This world needs more romantics, don't you think?

4.) hlomondodeli majoribanks: I like to write stories that hit people in the heart, those are the stories you remember.

5.) And a note to pimp troyce, shukaku-kun, invader hog, sierra lobo and all the others who left me wonderful reviews.


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